On September 26, President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke on his controversial remark during his trip to New York and argued, “Tarnishing the alliance with media coverage different from fact is putting the people at risk.” There was no apology or mention of regret for stirring the controversy. His use of foul language now has everyone guessing at the truth, and in this situation, the president opted to face the controversy head on.

On his way to work at the Office of the President in Yongsan this day, President Yoon met with reporters and when asked about the comment in question, he said, “I would describe it like this rather than call it a controversy,” and made his argument.

President Yoon said, “Other than two or three superpowers, there is no country in this world that can protect the lives and safety of its citizens with their ability alone,” and argued, “The alliance is essential for the lives and safety of our people,” and implied that the media’s coverage of this issue undermined the alliance.

The president continued and said, “As for the rest of the story, I think the truth related to this part has to be clarified more accurately.”

In the evening of September 21 (local time), when President Yoon was in New York, he was caught on hot mic using foul language on his way out of the Global Fund Seventh Replenishment Conference, stirring controversy. Media coverage claimed that the president said, “It would be so humiliating for Biden if these idiots don’t pass it in Congress,” but the next day, the Office of the President refuted that the president never referred to the U.S. Congress or Biden.

In a press briefing in New York, Kim Eun-hye, senior secretary for public relations in the Office of the President explained that the president expressed his concern about the massive opposition party (Democratic Party of Korea), which dominates the budget review authority (concerning contributions to the Global Fund), refusing to fulfill the least of our responsibility to the international community, and how this could end up humiliating our country. She claimed that the words President Yoon spoke were, “If the National Assembly did not approve and blew our opportunity.”