Politician's Wedding Gift Controversy: Examining the Reality and Solutions

## Politician's Wedding Gift Controversy: Examining the Reality and Solutions The issue of politicians receiving congratulatory money (wedding gifts) is resurfacing. This controversy, which has been ongoing for years, is being met with increased sensitivity due to growing public demand for fairness and transparency. TV Chosun reporter Shin Yu-man delved into this issue on October 27, 2025, analyzing the reality of the politician's wedding gift controversy and seeking ways to improve it. The issue of politicians' wedding gifts has been controversial on several occasions in the past. In 1987, it was revealed that businessmen contributed between ₩10 million and ₩100 million in congratulatory money at the wedding of former President Chun Doo-hwan's second son, Chun Jae-yong, drawing social criticism. In addition, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok sparked controversy during his Prime Minister confirmation hearing when he explained that he had received a total of ₩600 million in condolence money and publication 기념회 (celebration meetings). Prime Minister Kim revealed that he received about ₩50,000 per book at the publication 기념회, raising criticism of excessive acceptance of congratulatory money. Under current law, the maximum amount of condolence money that a public official can receive from an individual is limited to ₩50,000 in cash. The issue of politicians receiving congratulatory money raises questions about the transparency and fairness of political funds, going beyond a simple personal matter. In particular, congratulatory money received from stakeholders such as audited organizations or companies may constitute bribery depending on its relevance to their duties, raising concerns that this could hinder fair performance of duties. In the past, former lawmaker Noh Young-min was criticized for installing credit card payment terminals in his office and selling 8,000 copies of his poetry collection to audited organizations while he was chairman of the Trade, Industry, and Energy Committee. This was pointed out as a serious problem in that the politician tried to take unfair advantage of his position. To solve these problems, various improvement efforts have been made in the political sphere. Former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in took the lead by declaring that they would not receive congratulatory money at their sons' weddings. In 2014, the Democratic Party proposed a political reform plan to prevent lawmakers from receiving condolence money at all, but it was scrapped during National Assembly discussions at the time. Recently, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo proposed an amendment to the Political Funds Act to strictly manage revenue from publication 기념회 as political funds and prohibit the sale of books above the fixed price. This is seen as part of an effort to prevent politicians from receiving unfair political funds through publication 기념회 and to increase the transparency of political funds. Political reform is a task that must be continuously pursued, and the issue of politicians' congratulatory money is one of its core parts. The controversy over politicians' wedding gifts can exacerbate public distrust in politics. Therefore, the political community must resolve the issue of congratulatory money through voluntary self-purification efforts and institutional improvements. Politicians' efforts to manage transparent political funds and perform fair duties are desperately needed. Continuous efforts are needed to restore public trust and create a clean and transparent political culture. Meanwhile, in Ulsan, differences in opinion emerged between civic groups and political parties regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Korea. The Ulsan Free Democracy Protection Group and the Civic Group Alliance expressed their welcome to President Trump's visit, but the Progressive Party's Ulsan City Committee criticized President Trump's demand for $350 billion as an act of economic robbery that violates Korea's economic sovereignty. In addition, news was reported from Japan that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's approval rating was soaring, recording 74%. U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that Prime Minister Takaichi was a very close ally and friend of former Prime Minister Abe, and the two leaders are scheduled to hold a meeting on October 28, 2025.