First lady Kim Keon Hee (second from right) is seen upon her arrival at Vientiane, Laos as President Yoon Suk Yeol went on a trip there on Oct. 9 to attend ASEAN Summit. (Yonhap)
Han Dong-hoon, chief of the ruling People Power Party, reiterated his call for an independent inspector general's probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee in a party meeting Wednesday, saying such a probe is a crucial step for the ruling bloc to restore public trust.
Han's proposal, however, immediately prompted opposition from within the ruling conservative party.
"We have promised the people that we will start working to recommend candidates for a special inspector general," Han said. "I told President Yoon Suk Yeol (in a meeting Monday) that a (legislative) procedure to recommend candidates for the special inspector general will start soon."
Under South Korea's Independent Inspector General Act, the National Assembly shall recommend three candidates for an inspector -- who would be under the jurisdiction of the president but still able to inspect the president's spouse and relatives as well as public officials who are senior presidential secretaries or higher -- through bipartisan support. The ruling party and main opposition party are typically involved in the recommendation process.
An independent inspector general has the authority to file an accusation with South Korea's prosecutor general with evidence of criminality of the person subject to inspection.
Such a means of a special probe into powerful political figures was introduced through legislation in 2014 during the term of former President Park Geun-hye. The initials targets were Park's sister and an aide, until the first appointed inspector general resigned in September 2016. No such investigator has been nominated in the eight years since then.
An independent inspector general's special probe distinguishes itself from a special counsel probe into Kim, given that currently no law supports a special counsel's activity. Two bills already sponsored and passed by the main opposition party for a special counsel were both vetoed by the president.
People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon (fourth from left) speaks at a party meeting, proposing to launch a probe of first lady Kim Keon Hee by an independent inspector general, saying the probe is a crucial step for the ruling bloc to restore the public trust, on Wednesday. The proposal, made two days after his face-to-face meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol, was seen as the former justice minister — who has worked with Yoon for over two decades — taking a stand in opposition to the president's position.
Han has said that time is running out to tackle problems related to the president's wife, as any significant step regarding a special probe should be taken before a district court ruling scheduled for next month concerning opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung's criminal case over his alleged election law violation and attempt to abet false testimony.
"The opposition leader's verdict for his alleged crimes will be handed down on Nov. 15. By then, we should cater to people's demand (for justice) concerning issues related to Kim," Han said.
"If people are still complaining about the first lady then, like they do now, we will not be able to win the trust of people who would be disappointed with the Democratic Party."
Immediately after Han's remarks, the ruling party's Floor Leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho told reporters that it would "take a considerable amount of time" to gather opinions from the party for an inspector recommendation.
This comes as Yoon's approval rating hit an all-time low Monday, according to pollster Realmeter, after his wife was cleared of multiple allegations by prosecutors.
The prosecution's back-to-back decisions to stop pursuing legal procedures over her alleged acceptance of luxury gifts and involvement in stock manipulation in the early 2010s triggered criticism of selective justice in South Korea from the opposition.
Also on Monday, Han proposed to Yoon that Kim remain out of the public eye so that negative issues related to her could be tackled. Han additionally called for a presidential office staff shakeup amid Kim's alleged influence-peddling in state affairs.
Also among the proposals was an inspector general's independent investigation, for which Yoon said a bipartisan agreement is a prerequisite, according to Yoon's office Wednesday.
With respect to this, Han countered Yoon's claim in his news conference in August that "the independent inspector general nomination cannot come forward without the parliament's cooperation in the director nomination of a foundation dedicated to promoting North Korean human rights," saying such a claim "is unlikely something people would sympathize with."
In response to signs of the ruling party's internal rift after the meeting between Yoon and Han -- due to differences over whether the high-stakes meeting managed to quell public concerns about problems surrounding Kim -- an official of Yoon's office said on condition of anonymity Wednesday, "Now is the time for the ruling bloc to gather strength in the face of political challenges."
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