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)

The ruling People Power Party's chief Han Dong-hoon ramped up his call for an independent inspector general's probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee in a party meeting Wednesday, saying the probe is a crucial step for the ruling bloc to restore the 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 Monday meeting) 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 is eligible 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 the main opposition party are typically involved in the recommendation process.

Han claimed time is running out to tackle problems related to Yoon's wife, saying any significant step must be taken before a district court ruling scheduled in November on opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung's criminal allegations 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," he also said.

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 of the party.

This comes as President Yoon's approval rating hit an all-time low Monday, according to pollster Realmeter, after his wife was cleared of multiple allegations.

The prosecution's back-to-back decision to stop pursuing legal procedures -- over her alleged acceptance of luxury gifts and her alleged stock manipulation involvement in the early 2010s -- triggered opposition parties' criticism of selective justice in South Korea.

On the same day, Han proposed to Yoon that Kim remain secluded, negative issues related to Yoon's wife be tackled, and a presidential office staff shakeup takes place amid Kim's alleged influence-peddling on 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.

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 director nomination of a foundation dedicated to promoting North Korean human rights," saying such a claim "is unlikely something people would sympathize with."