Rival parties clash over special investigation bill targeting first lady

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Rival parties continued to spar on Friday over a bill calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate accusations against first lady Kim Keon-hee, including claims of her alleged involvement in the candidate nomination process for parliamentary elections.

The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and a smaller opposition party, the Korea Reconstruction Party, re-introduced a bill on Thursday calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate various allegations against Kim, accusing her of interfering in the ruling People’s Power Party’s (PPP) candidate nomination process for the April 10 general election.

The DPK accused Kim of exerting influence to persuade former MP Kim Young-sun of the PPP to change her constituency.

“The grounds for a special investigation into the first lady continue to grow,” Rep. Park Chan-dae, leader of the party’s Supreme Council, told a meeting Friday. “If the reports of her election interference are true, it constitutes manipulation of state affairs for which the administration should be held accountable. It is only fair that the allegations against the president’s wife be investigated and penalties imposed if she is found guilty. I hope the president and the PPP will support our bill to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate these allegations.”

The president’s office has denied any involvement by Kim, saying the candidate was chosen by the PPP’s nominating committee.

“Kim Young-sun was cut off after the commission’s decision and as a result was not nominated for any constituency. So what kind of interference is this?” said a senior presidential official.

The parties initially proposed similar bills that included allegations that Kim engaged in stock manipulation, accepted a luxury bag from a pastor and claimed the government had rerouted a highway to financially benefit her family.

However, President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed the bills, sending them back to parliament for reconsideration. The National Assembly then rejected the bills in a second vote, leading to their automatic rejection.

The PPP accused the DPK of trying to promote conspiracy theories.

“The DPK is once again pushing irrational conspiracy theories against the first lady based on unconfirmed reports. We know that her goal is to stir up political debate by pushing bills on special prosecutors’ investigations and parliamentary hearings,” said Rep. Park Jun-tae, a PPP spokesman.

Representative Na Kyung-won of the PPP claimed that the DPP’s call to appoint a special prosecutor in the Kim case is part of a broader strategy to build a basis for impeaching the president.

“DPK’s accusations against the First Lady are simply insane. She has run negative political campaigns designed to tarnish the image of female politicians. Depicting Kim as a bar hostess with the nickname “Julie” is despicable,” she wrote on Facebook on Friday.