Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Will probe into first lady begin after general elections?
Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon enters the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday, to attend a budget committee meeting. Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
Justice minister’s remarks trigger debate on political impact of probe into Kim Keon Hee
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is floating the idea of putting off the launch of a special counsel probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee until after the upcoming general elections in April next year, in a bid to counter the opposition’s push to pass a bill to facilitate such an investigation this month and take advantage of negative public sentiment toward the first lady in election campaigning.
The idea, brought up by Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, who is likely to be named as the interim leader of the PPP in the near future, is interpreted as a tactic to protect President Yoon Suk Yeol from possible criticisms regarding his vetoing the bill, while minimizing the probe’s impact on the general elections.
“There should be no exceptions before the law,” Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon told reporters, Tuesday. “However, the bill is intended to disclose the investigation process in real-time and includes other controversial clauses. Most of all, it is a bad law that allows the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to exploit it as a propaganda campaign during the general elections.”
The comments were interpreted as him being open to accepting the special counsel bill if some clauses of the bill are removed and the special counsel probe begins after the general elections.
First lady Kim Keon Hee holds puppies at an animal protection organization in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Dec. 14, during President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the country. Joint Press Corps
A special counsel probe refers to an investigation by an independent counsel, called a special prosecutor, who works on cases involving high-ranking officials. First lady Kim faces allegations that she was involved in the stock manipulation of one of BMW's licensed Korean dealerships.
To appoint a counsel for first lady Kim’s case, the minor opposition Justice Party proposed the bill in March, and this is set to be tabled at a National Assembly plenary session on Dec. 28, upon the main opposition DPK’s endorsement. Since the DPK holds 168 out of 300 seats of the Assembly, the party can singlehandedly pass the bill.
If it takes place, the investigation of Kim is expected to be one of the most controversial issues preceding the general elections, as the investigation is likely to peak in March — just a month before the elections — with the aim of swaying public sentiment away from not only Kim but also the president and the ruling party.
Yoon is likely to veto the special counsel probe even if the bill passes the Assembly. But it is also seen as an undesirable choice because the president has already vetoed several bills passed by the DPK, and surveys showed that the public wants the investigation to take place.
Against this backdrop, Han’s remarks on accepting the special counsel probe are interpreted as a tactic reflecting the reality that the PPP cannot stop the DPK from passing the special counsel bill, and the DPK will not accept the idea of launching the probe after the general elections.
Proposing the idea of launching a special counsel probe after the general elections provides a pretext for the ruling bloc that it is open to the probe to some extent, but it has to postpone it after the elections due to the concern that the DPK would exploit it for its aims in the election.
This alleviates possible concerns for Yoon over using his veto power once again, which could be interpreted as an abuse of power. And at the same time could become a criticism against the DPK implying that the party’s purpose of pushing for the first lady’s special counsel probe, is to gain an advantage in the general election, rather than as a matter of justice.
Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung speaks during a party Supreme Council Meeting at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The DPK slammed Han’s remarks Wednesday, labeling him “a spokesperson for first lady Kim,” and vowed to pass the bill “by any means” during the Dec. 28 plenary session.
“Justice Minister Han is mentioned as the interim leader of the ruling party, and it seems obvious that he will end up being an avatar of President Yoon,” DPK spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-joon said. “Tuesday’s remarks indicate that he is considering himself as a personal guard of the first lady, and there were plenty of criticisms within our Supreme Council Meeting today.”
During a radio interview with broadcaster CBS, DPK Rep. Jung Sung-ho said that the PPP is using the rationale that the DPK is seeking to use the special counsel probe to affect the general elections, but the ruling party could have accepted it earlier if it were truly open to the special counsel probe bill, adding “if the PPP’s logic is fair, all investigations on opposition politicians should be postponed as well.”
Unlike Tuesday, Han refused to explain further about his idea on the first lady’s special counsel bill on Wednesday, telling reporters that “I have said enough.”