On the morning of the 7th, President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a national address at the Yongsan Presidential Office, apologizing to the public. He acknowledged, “The matters surrounding me have caused concern to the public. Everything is due to my shortcomings and lack of virtue.” He also revealed that prior advice from his wife, Kim Keon-hee, was to “properly apologize to the public.”
During a press conference at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day, President Yoon was asked whether his wife had any words while preparing for the press conference. He explained, “I originally planned to hold a press conference after returning from an overseas trip. However, I decided it would be better to address it before the trip, ahead of November 10, which marks the mid-term point of my presidency, hence the announcement.” He continued, “When I got home at night, my wife [Kim Keon-hee] saw the news article and told me, ‘Go and make a proper apology.'”
President Yoon also mentioned that his wife feels wronged by “intentional demonization,” “fake news,” and “exaggerated fabrications.” However, she feels much more sorry for causing the public worry and distress.
He added, “Therefore, she advised me not to focus solely on the achievements of my administration at the mid-term milestone, but to offer apologies.”
President Yoon rhetorically asked, “This isn’t interference or manipulation in state affairs, is it?”
When questioned about the specifics of his apology, he said, “There are so many stories swirling around, and even I am not aware of all of them,” admitting that it was difficult to be specific. However, he acknowledged that his own behavior and the communication protocol between the President and First Lady were not proper, leading to unnecessary and potentially avoidable controversies, hence his apology to the public.
Nonetheless, Yoon pointed out, “If you expect an apology for things that are not factual, it wouldn’t be right as it would be admitting to something untrue, which would be slander. Such issues are not something to apologize for.”
He concluded, “In any case, the fact that such concerns were caused to the public is due to the actions of my wife and me. We will be more cautious to prevent such occurrences in the future.”