Soo-jin Kim, Jeong-hye Bae, Eun-jung Jin… Spouses Draw as Much Attention as the Candidates [Sisa Show]

Buk-gap, Busan: Spouses of Ha Jung-woo, Minsik Park, and Han Dong-hoon
PhD from Seoul National University, Painter, Kim & Chang Attorney… Impressive Backgrounds
Fully Committed to Supporting Their Husbands in the Race for Victory

The most closely watched district among the June 3 by-elections is Buk-gap in Busan. Ha Jung-woo (Democratic Party of Korea), Park Min-sik (People Power Party), and Han Dong-hoon (Independent) are in a fierce, high-stakes contest. As the candidates campaign, so do their spouses. Sometimes, the spouses even attract more attention than the candidates themselves. Here, we look into who Soo-jin Kim (Ha Jung-woo’s spouse), Jeong-hye Bae (Park Min-sik’s spouse), and Jin Eun-jung (Han Dong-hoon’s spouse) are, as they work side by side with the candidates.

Ha Jung-woo’s spouse, Soo-jin Kim: Three years younger, but a senior in the lab

Ha Jung-woo’s wife, Soo-jin Kim, is three years younger than him. She earned her Ph.D. in bioinformatics from Seoul National University Graduate School and was working in a laboratory when she first met Ha, who joined the same lab after graduating from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University Graduate School. In terms of lab tenure, Kim was a year ahead. Although their research fields were slightly different, as both had AI as a foundation, they often collaborated. Sharing a small space and working together frequently in the lab brought them closer. They grew even closer over drinks and fried chicken on their way home from work. They married in 2015. They now have a son who is in the fourth grade of elementary school.

Candidate Ha Jung-woo (right) first met his spouse Soo-jin Kim at a Seoul National University laboratory. Photo by Ha Jung-woo SNS

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Kim has taught prospective elementary school teachers at Seoul National University of Education, covering topics such as computing and artificial intelligence pedagogy. In an interview with , Ha shared how he persuaded Kim after deciding to enter politics: “Even if good policies and strategies are made at the Blue House, related laws, systems, and their realization in reality are necessary to implement them. That’s why I have to become a lawmaker. I believe I will be good at it.”

Kim described her husband Ha as follows: “He is a very quick learner. He is critical, but he doesn’t hesitate—he looks at things positively and accepts them quickly. He has a positive and open attitude. He is a leader and someone who never loses his sense of center.” When was the moment that Ha truly noticed Kim? One day, Kim said, “Being in the lab all the time, both my body and mind feel depleted,so starting tomorrow, I’m going to start running.” From the next day, Kim ran 10 laps of the 400-meter track at a moderate pace. Ha thought she would quit soon, but when he saw her stick with it consistently, he gained a new appreciation for her. Ha usually calls Kim “Soo-jin-ah,” but refers to her as “Dr. Kim” in public. Kim usually calls Ha “oppa” at home. At home, Ha is in charge of sorting recyclables and taking out the food waste.

Park Min-sik’s spouse, Jeong-hye Bae: Met a “stand-in” and married after a year of dating

Park Min-sik’s wife, Jeong-hye Bae, is a painter. She first met Park while attending graduate school at Hongik University. It was June 1995. After dating for about a year, they married and now have a son and a daughter. How they first met is an interesting story. Originally, Bae was supposed to go on a blind date with Park’s older brother. However, when his brother was unable to attend for unavoidable reasons, Park went in his place. That chance encounter eventually led to marriage.

Candidate Min-sik Park (right) met his spouse Jeong-hye Bae in 1995 and married within a year. Photo by Min-sik Park SNS

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At the time, Park was a Judicial Research and Training Institute student and was working as a trainee prosecutor in Busan. For Park, who had only focused on studying law, Bae—who lived in a completely different world—was a fresh new experience. Their conversations sparked curiosity and attraction. They dated long-distance between Seoul and Busan and often went hiking together. Bae recalls, “During our dating days, I don’t remember us eating at fancy places. We’d go hiking, then come down and eat ssambap or noodles.”

During his time as a lawmaker, Park hung one of Bae’s paintings in his National Assembly office. However, when Park first ran for office, Bae strongly opposed it, expressing her feelings with tears. She didn’t even visit Busan during his campaign, but changed her mind after seeing her mother-in-law handing out campaign cards on the street in the cold winter rain. Seeing Park’s mother campaign so hard, Bae thought, “If even my mother-in-law is doing this…” and went down to Busan to help with the campaign. Now, having become a seasoned politician’s wife, Bae campaigns harder than anyone alongside Park.

Candidate Han Dong-hoon (left) is one year senior to his spouse Jin Eun-jung in high school and university. Photo by Han Dong-hoon SNS

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Han Dong-hoon’s wife, Jin Eun-jung, was born in 1975. She is from the Jin family of Punggi. Although she is two years younger than Han (born in 1973), they are just one year apart in school. Both graduated from Hyundai High School in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu. They also attended Seoul National University School of Law and Columbia Law School in the United States together. They first met at a high school alumni gathering while attending Seoul National University. They married while Han was serving as a legal officer in the Air Force and began their newlywed life in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Their wedding was officiated by their mentor, Professor Emeritus Song Sang-hyun of Seoul National University Law School. They have a daughter born in 2005 and a son born in 2009.

Han Dong-hoon’s spouse, Jin Eun-jung: The “Law School Queen” more famous than her husband

While attending Seoul National University, Jin was reportedly more famous than Han. According to , Jin was known as the “Law School Queen,” drawing the attention of many male students. Some even checked what classes she was taking to attend the same lectures. In contrast, Han was said to be rather quiet. After returning from studying in the U.S., Jin worked at accounting firms such as KPMG, then moved to the law firm Barun in 2006, and later to Kim & Chang in 2009. At Kim & Chang, she is known to have worked as a lawyer in areas such as environment, labor, and human resources. On May 7, she registered her move to Mandeok-dong, Buk-gu, and has been passionately supporting Han’s campaign, including performing as the “Buk-gu Bear” mascot and dancing at events.

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Jin’s father is former Prosecutor Jin Hyung-gu, who graduated from Seoul National University College of Engineering and passed the bar exam. He resigned as director of the Public Security Department at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in 1999 due to the “KOMSCO strike inducement case.” Jin’s younger brother, former prosecutor Jin Dong-gyun, also left the prosecution after being implicated in a sexual harassment case involving a junior female prosecutor. One of Jin’s older sisters is said to be living in the United States.

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.

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