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South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her husband Lee Yil-byung, professor emeritus at Yonsei University, at Kang’s confirmation ceremony at the Blue House in September 2017. (Yonhap News)

After the husband of South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha traveled to the US to buy a yacht despite a government recommendation for citizens to avoid traveling in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, not only South Korea’s opposition party but also the ruling party and the Blue House have criticized Kang’s husband for his irresponsible behavior. The growing criticism forced Kang to make an apology.

“I think the view of the public is that this was inappropriate,” Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon told reporters on Oct. 4, referring to the behavior of Kang’s husband Lee Yill-byung, professor emeritus at Yonsei University.

“I think this behavior was inappropriate since he is a family member not only of a high-ranking official but of the foreign minister herself, the very person who issued the travel advisory,” said Democratic Party floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon during a press conference on Sunday.

When Lee was asked about the purpose of his trip in the departures section of Incheon Airport on Oct. 3, he told KBS reporters that he was “just traveling by himself” and that “COVID-19 isn’t going to go away any time soon.” KBS reported that Lee had gone to the US to buy a yacht, citing a post on his personal blog.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a special travel advisory for all countries and regions in March. The advisory recommended that South Koreans cancel or delay all travel in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While we can’t stop people from traveling overseas, I think this was inappropriate behavior for the spouse of the foreign minister, the person who recommended citizens not to travel. The fact that he was buying a yacht might also upset people’s sensibilities,” said another top lawmaker in the ruling Democratic Party.

Democratic Party spokesperson Shin Young-dae eventually released a statement on Sunday afternoon expressing “regret that the spouse of a cabinet member has disappointed countless Koreans who were unable to visit their relatives for the [Chuseok] holiday because of COVID-19.”

While the Blue House didn’t issue an official position statement, staff there are apparently worried that Lee Yill-byung’s behavior will damage public sentiment. Though it wasn’t Kang herself but her husband who left the country and although the action isn’t illegal, it could provoke feelings of jealousy or alienation.

Given recent public resentment over the revelation that Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae lied in her testimony to the National Assembly about the extended leave her son received during his military service, officials are clearly anxious about the continuing ramifications of this latest flap. Several members of the Blue House staff argued that Kang should go ahead and make an apology.

The main opposition People Power Party played up the incident as “unbelievable and ridiculous.” In a statement, the party’s floor spokesperson Choe Hyeong-du said, “Koreans have refrained from making urgent trips overseas and weren’t even able to visit ancestral graves over Chuseok because of the government’s recommendation to avoid overseas travel. So it’s incredible to think that the husband of the head of the Foreign Ministry, the responsible government ministry, traveled overseas on a lark. Did the foreign minister give special permission to her family members to travel overseas? Can we really call this a civilized country?”

As the controversy escalated, Kang said during a meeting of senior officials at MOFA on Sunday that she was “sorry that this had happened while Koreans are refraining from foreign travel and limiting their outdoor activities.”

Kang also spoke to reporters as she was leaving the office for the day. “[My husband] has been planning and putting this off for so long that I don’t think I can tell him to come home. He was well aware of the situation, and I also tried to explain it to him, but in the end he made the decision to go. At any rate, I’m sorry about this,” she said.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, Kim Won-chul, and Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporters

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