Tuesday did not just mark the start of a new government led by President Yoon Suk-yeol. It also marked the first official debut -- at least in the eyes of the public -- of first lady Kim Keon-hee, who has been ostensibly missing on the campaign trail.
Kim, 49, has been keeping a low profile for months after being embroiled in various controversies surrounding her past, including an allegation that she falsified credentials to take a part-time lecturer seat at a local university. She delivered a public apology over the issue in December.
According to local reports, she is planning to temporarily or permanently shut down the art exhibition planning company that she has been running as a chief executive officer since 2007 to focus on her new role as first lady.
Yoon and Kim tied the knot in 2012 when the president served as a senior official at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
First lady Kim Keon-hee talks with attendees of Yoon’s inauguration dinner at Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday evening. (Yonhap)
First lady Kim Keon-hee sees President Yoon Seok-yeol off at their residence in Seocho-gu, Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
First lady Kim Keon-hee makes a toast with President Yoon Seok-yeol (left), Supreme Court Chief Justice Kim Myeong-su and Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom to celebrate Yoon’s inauguration at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap)
First lady Kim Keon-hee talks with former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama during Yoon’s inauguration dinner at Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday evening. (Yonhap)
First lady Kim Keon-hee burns incense to pay tribute to South Korean martyrs and war heroes at the National Cemetery in Seoul on Tuesday morning. (Yonhap)
By Park Han-na (
hnpark@heraldcorp.com)