PPP leader calls for first lady’s withdrawal from public activities

Oct 18, 2024, 11:32 am

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Ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon delivers a welcome speech at the 2024 National Metropolitan Council Training Event held at the National Assembly Hall on Oct. 17, 2024./ Photographed by Lee Byung-hwa

AsiaToday reporter Kim Myung-eun

As the prosecution on Thursday decided not to indict first lady Kim Keon-hee over her stock manipulation allegations, political circles are expected to fall into the “Kim Keon-hee black hole.”

This is because the opposition bloc has begun to use the prosecution’s non-indictment decision as a justification for the introduction of a bill calling for a special counsel probe into the first lady. The pro-Han faction within the ruling party is also moving to use it as an opportunity to reform the party.

Political observers predict that the political landscape of the ruling party-government relationship as well as the ruling party could change depending on how the presidential office responds to the demands that Han Dong-hoon, who gained political confidence by securing by-election wins in strongholds on Wednesday, will present in his upcoming one-on-one meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Regarding the prosecution’s non-indictment decision, Han said, “We need to see if the prosecution’s explanation is convincing to the public.”

During a party Supreme Council meeting held on Thursday, Han reiterated his call for a presidential office reshuffle to remove those considered close to Kim, saying, “First Lady Kim should refrain from public activities in keeping with her promise during the presidential election.”

Observers say that Han, who has been pressuring the presidential office over first lady Kim Keon-hee, has raised his voice even more encouraged by the party’s wins in crucial by-elections the previous day. “First lady Kim should actively cooperate in identifying the allegations that have been raised,” he said.

In the meantime, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) criticized the prosecution’s non-indictment decision and proposed a stronger bill calling for a special counsel probe.

The new bill expands the scope of the proposed special counsel investigation to include recent allegations that Kim solicited the help of Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed political broker, to conduct public opinion surveys favorable to her husband ahead of the 2022 presidential election.

#Kim Keon-hee #Han Dong-hoon #prosecution