South Korean President Vetoes Proposal to Investigate First Lady

On January 5, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol vetoed two proposals for special investigations from the opposition, one of which involved allegations against First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

Mr. Yoon exercised his veto by approving a motion asking the National Assembly to reconsider bills that the opposition Democratic Party (DP) unilaterally passed last week.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee. (Photo: Yonhap)

First Lady Kim was accused of manipulating the stock price of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealership in South Korea, from 2009 to 2012. Ms. Kim denied the allegations.

The special investigation proposal also involves six people, including former officials, former lawmakers and former prosecutors, who were promised 5 billion won (US$4.2 million) each from an asset management company linked to a corrupt development project in Daejang-dong, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province.

The ruling People's Power Party (PPP) rejected the vote last week, accusing the proposals of being a "political ploy" by the DP to smear the administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol ahead of next April's general election.

The DP has rejected this argument, saying there should be no “no-go zones” in investigations.

“If the two bills are enacted, they could affect the people’s precious right to vote in fair elections and only cause misunderstandings with domestic issues,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said while presiding over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting.

This is the fourth time President Yoon Suk-yeol has exercised his veto power. He previously vetoed a pro-labor bill known as the "Yellow Envelope," a nursing bill that would define the roles and responsibilities of nurses, and an amendment to the grain bill that would require the government to buy surplus rice.

Hua Yu (Source: Yonhap)

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