South Korean National Assembly rejects proposal to investigate First Lady

South Korea's National Assembly has rejected a bill proposing a special investigation into First Lady Kim Keon-hee on charges of "stock price manipulation".

On February 29, the South Korean National Assembly held a re-vote on two bills submitted by the opposition Democratic Party (DP), including a proposal to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that First Lady Kim Keon-hee was involved in stock price manipulation of Deutsche Motors from 2009 to 2012.

The remaining proposal calls for an investigation into allegations that six people, including former officials, former lawmakers and former prosecutors, were promised 5 billion won ($3.8 million) each by a company involved in a corruption project in Daejang-dong district.

South Korean First Lady Kim Keon-hee in the UK in November 2023. Photo: Reuters

The two bills were passed by the DP-controlled National Assembly, but were vetoed by President Yoon Suk-yeol on January 5 by approving a motion asking the National Assembly to reconsider.

To pass in the second round of voting, the two bills needed the support of two-thirds of the 297 members of the National Assembly. However, with President Yoon's People's Power Party (PPP) holding 113 seats in the National Assembly, the DP was unable to muster the necessary support, causing both bills to be rejected.

The South Korean presidential office has previously said the allegations against the first lady date back 12 years, before she and Mr. Yoon were married. The matter was also investigated under former President Moon Jae-in, but Ms. Kim was not even summoned for questioning, let alone prosecuted.

First Lady Kim Keon-hee, born in 1972, majored in painting at Kyonggi University and earned a master's degree in art education, followed by a doctorate in digital content design. She married Yoon Suk-yeol in March 2012.

Ngoc Anh (According to Yonhap/AFP/Reuters )

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