A whistleblower who exposed allegations of the first lady Kim Hea-kyung’s “misuse of a Gyeonggi Province corporate card” during President Lee Jae-myung’s tenure as Gyeonggi Governor, Jo Myeong-hyun, partially won a damages lawsuit against the provincial government and Bae, a former secretary to Kim.
Judge Jeon Bo-kyung of the Suwon District Court’s Civil Division 8 presided over the first-instance ruling on the civil damages lawsuit filed by Jo against Gyeonggi Province and Bae, and ruled, “Gyeonggi Province and Bae must pay Jo 20 million Korean won.”
In April 2023, Jo’s side filed the lawsuit seeking 100 million Korean won in damages, claiming, “Bae made humiliating remarks and gave unfair instructions while ordering Jo to accompany Kim.” The lawsuit demanded compensation for emotional distress caused by Bae’s actions. It also held Gyeonggi Province accountable for structural negligence in hiring and managing Bae while allowing such situations to persist.
Jo later reduced the claimed amount to 30 million Korean won, and the court recognized 20 million Korean won as valid compensation.
Jo, the whistleblower in the “Gyeonggi Province corporate card misuse” case, joined the provincial government in 2021 as a Grade 7 civil servant. He worked under Bae, his superior, in a team informally known as the “Madam’s team,” serving as Kim’s private secretary.
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