Former President Moon Jae-in has triggered intense debate with his recently published memoir, reigniting controversy surrounding his wife’s visit to India during his term.It has sparked a fresh call from the ruling People Power Party (PPP), which was the opposition party at the time, to investigate former first lady Kim Jung-sook. The party claims that the visit was aimed at fulfilling her wish to visit the Taj Mahal on taxpayer money, despite Moon’s explanation that the Indian government invited her.The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which was the ruling party at the time, is baffled by the resurfacing of the issue. Additionally, the mainstream of the DPK, a faction loyal to its Chairman Lee Jae-myung, questions the timing of the memoir, particularly as unity within a faction supporting Moon has been growing ahead of Thursday’s memorial event for former President Roh Moo-hyun, Moon’s longtime friend.
The memoir, titled “From the Periphery to the Center,” published Saturday, contains Moon’s reflections on major issues during his presidency from May 2017 to May 2022.Creating controversy was Moon’s description of his wife’s 2018 visit to India using the presidential jet, which drew criticism from conservatives at the time. They argued that the first lady’s trip amounted to a junket financed by taxpayer money.”Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited me to return to India for the opening of the Heo Hwang-ok Memorial Park, but it was difficult for me to visit India again,” Moon wrote.”So I declined, and India then asked me to send my wife instead … The reason I elaborate on this is that there are people who maliciously distort (the facts) as if my wife went on a junket using taxpayer money.”Moon described the visit as “the first standalone diplomacy by a first lady.” It was the first time for the former president to speak about the controversy, which has been a target of criticism from the conservatives for 스포츠토토존 years.