Choo Mi-ae: "President Lee's 'Living in Luxury' Post Was Not Aimed at Me"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae stated regarding recent social media posts by President Lee Jae-myung mentioning terms like "high-ranking officials living in luxury," "I do not think the president was targeting me."

Governor Choo gave this response during the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of Gyeonggi Province on October 13, when People Power Party lawmaker Joo Ho-young asked, "Don't you feel unfairly sniped at by the president?"

Governor Choo explained, "The president also spent a difficult boyhood, and I too spent an unusual childhood," adding, "My mother could not raise me herself and had to place me in foster care."

She went on to emphasize, "I have never been out of touch with people's livelihoods, nor have I ever lived in luxury and harmed others."

When lawmaker Joo asked, "May I take it that the president posted it by mistake on social media?", Governor Choo replied, "No. I do not think it is my story," and added, "The media is simply misunderstanding it that way. I live amidst numerous misunderstandings. It is the destiny of a politician."

Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung pointed out in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on October 11, "It is difficult for someone who has lived a lifetime as a high-ranking official living in luxury thanks to their parents without hardships to understand the lives and perceptions of weary ordinary citizens."

He also mentioned "those who unhesitatingly cut meager welfare budgets for ordinary citizens" and "power holders who swing swords thoughtlessly," prompting some political circles to interpret the remarks as a veiled jab at Governor Choo, who recently faced controversies over cutting welfare budgets citing a fiscal crisis and contracting an expensive official residence.

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