In tit-for-tat, Democratic Party calls for special counsel to investigate first lady

Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung drives past and waves to supporters on his way to Seoul prosecutors’ office on Friday. Many in the crowd wave blue balloons to express support of the Democratic Party. (Yonhap)

The Democratic Party of Korea has called for a special counsel to investigate first lady Kim Keon Hee, as its chair, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, appeared before prosecutors Friday for the third time this year in one of several criminal investigations facing him and his aides.

The party is now considering fast-tracking a bill to name a special counsel against the first lady, whose stock transactions have come under scrutiny in connection with a Deutsch Motors stock price manipulation investigation.

“The wheels of justice should not spare spare anyone,” the party said in a statement Friday.

It comes as Kwon Oh-soo, the former chairperson of Deutsch Motors, was handed a 300 million won ($237,000) fine and a suspended jail term in the first trial on Friday for violating capital market laws.

Kwon has denied the allegations raised by the Democratic Party that the first lady provided the funds used in the stock transactions, or that he managed investments on her behalf.

The Democratic Party lawmakers, including the rest of the leadership other than Lee, have been taking turns staging a rally calling for the investigation into the first lady at the hallway of the main National Assembly building.

Meanwhile, Lee, speaking to reporters outside the Seoul central district prosecutors’ office on Friday, once again denied all wrongdoing, accusing the prosecutors of staging a “politically motivated witch hunt” against him.

The party leader, who ran against Yoon Suk Yeol in last year’s presidential election, claimed that the prosecutors “abused their investigative authorities to fabricate criminal allegations.”

“I vow to stand up against the prosecutors’ dictatorial crackdown,” he said.

The Seoul prosecutors’ office summoned Lee over violating the laws on corruption prevention and malfeasance in office, among other accusations, in an investigation of a Seongnam city real estate scandal from 2015.

The prosecutors believe that Lee, who pushed the real estate development project as then mayor of Seongnam, handed out special favors to certain private developers.

By Kim Arin(arin@heraldcorp.com)