[Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Kim Geum-bo – Huh Min, the head of the National Heritage Administration, speaks during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, in the afternoon of the 18th. 2025.09.18.
[Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Lee Su-ji – Huh Min, head of the National Heritage Administration, indicated intentions for an internal investigation and filing a complaint regarding the controversy over Kim Keon-hee’s ‘Jongmyo Tea Gathering’.
During a national audit of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly on the 15th, Huh stated in response to a question from Yang Moon-seok, a National Assembly member from the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding measures related to Kim Keon-hee’s tea gathering, “Irrespective of the special investigation, we will request an investigation if necessary.”
The ‘Jongmyo Tea Gathering’ controversy arose when it became known that Kim held a tea gathering with outsiders in September last year at Mogram Portion in Seoul’s Jongmyo, sparking debate over the private use of national heritage sites.
Yang insisted that the Heritage Administration should officially request an investigation into Kim’s ‘Jongmyo Tea Gathering’ controversy, apart from any special investigation, stating, “During the issue inquiries in the Culture Committee last year, the then-administrator Choi Eung-cheon admitted wrongdoing, and Director Lee Jae-pil of the Palace and Tombs Bureau also affirmed its private use when questioned by Assembly member Lim Oh-gyeong.”
Yang further remarked, “If issues of private use already acknowledged by the then-administrator and current director are not addressed immediately, it could create grave issues in the work attitudes of officials in future presidential administrations.”