Constitutional Court President Kim Sang-hwan Used W. 10 Million in Budget for Wife Accompanying Him on Spain Trip

Constitutional Court President Kim Sang-hwan has been found to have spent about 10 million won for the travel expenses of his spouse, who accompanied him on a trip to Madrid, Spain, in October of last year.

According to data submitted by the Constitutional Court to the office of People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun today (the 3rd), President Kim visited Madrid, Spain, for a week starting October 26 last year to attend the World Conference on Constitutional Justice.

A total of six people accompanied the trip, including President Kim and his wife, Justice Kim Hyung-du, the chief of staff to the Constitutional Court President, a constitutional researcher, and an investigator.

The budget spent by the Constitutional Court on travel expenses amounted to 58.219 million won, of which 10.313 million won was used for the travel expenses of President Kim's spouse.

Meanwhile, 13.368 million won was spent on President Kim's own travel expenses.

At the time, the Constitutional Court of Spain sent an invitation stating, "Each delegation can consist of up to four people, including accompanying persons or security personnel."

An official from the Constitutional Court explained, "Spouses have always accompanied attendees when attending the World Conference on Constitutional Justice, and we also received approval from the organizers for the addition of two more people." They added, "In Europe, cases where same-sex marriage is recognized are common, which is why the expression 'accompanying persons' was used instead of 'spouse.'"

The Constitutional Court side also added that although the general assembly invites four people each year, two additional people accompany them when a full member of the Venice Commission, an advisory body on constitutional law, attends.

This means that two additional people, including an accompanying researcher, joined as Justice Kim Hyung-du attended in his capacity as a full member of the Venice Commission.

The Constitutional Court General Assembly is held on a three-year cycle, and the next general assembly will be held in Cairo, Egypt, in 2028.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.