DP pushes for special counsel to investigate first lady

The majority Democratic Party is pushing to pass a bill to enable a special counsel probe into alleged stock manipulation involving first lady Kim Keon Hee in the National Assembly this week, a move vehemently opposed by the People Power Party.

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, center, the PPP floor leader, speaks during a party meeting Tuesday at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, slamming the Democratic Party for its attempt to launch a special parliamentary probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee. [NEWS1]

The majority Democratic Party (DP) is pushing to pass a bill to enable a special counsel probe into alleged stock manipulation involving first lady Kim Keon Hee in the National Assembly this week, a move vehemently opposed by the People Power Party (PPP).

The DP called to put to vote the "special prosecutor act" for Kim during a parliamentary plenary session on Thursday, to form an independent counsel to investigate the allegations against the first lady.

The PPP described the bill as being "unacceptable," saying it was unrelated to realizing judicial justice and a ploy to distract and sway voters with just 100 days left until next April's general elections.

Kim has been accused of being involved in manipulating the stock prices of Deutsch Motors, a BMW car dealer in Korea. The former head of Deutsch Motors, Kwon Oh-soo, was convicted and given a suspended prison term last February on charges of manipulating the company's stock prices between 2009 and 2012 and conspiring with market players in violation of the Capital Markets Act.

The DP has been accusing Kim of being one of the market players in the case, having long proposed a special counsel probe.

Kim has denied the allegations.

The DP has also called for another special probe into six people accused of receiving at least 5 billion won ($3.8 million) in bribes in a land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, from DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung's time as the city's mayor.

During a party meeting Tuesday, Rep. Yun Jae-ok, the PPP floor leader, again rejected the DP's call for a special probe into Kim, saying, "The purpose is clear — to insult President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife and gain votes."

Yun accused the DP of trying to "divert the public's attention from various judicial risks," referring to DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung's legal woes related to a development scandal and alleged involvement in an underwear company's illegal remittances to North Korea.

He called the special probe a "provocative political campaign targeting the president and his family," noting that the allegations were "unrelated to any power abuse corruptions" and took place a decade ago, before President Yoon married Kim. The presidential couple married in 2012.

Floor leader Yun said that the special probe into the land development scandal involving the DP chief is to "take the Daejeong-dong investigation currently out of the hands of the prosecution and transfer the investigative authority to the special parliamentary probe."

The PPP said it plans to hold a general meeting Thursday morning to prepare for the DP's "double" special probe bills.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, attends a Christmas service at the Chungdong First Methodist Church in central Seoul on Monday without first lady Kim Keon Hee. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon was spotted attending a Christmas Eve mass at a Catholic church on Sunday and a Christmas Day service at a Protestant church on Monday without Kim, unlike last year when the first lady accompanied him. This was seen to be a part of efforts to keep Kim out of the spotlight ahead of the parliamentary vote.

With former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, a former prosecutor, taking over as interim leader of the PPP, there is an opportunity for last-minute negotiations with the DP, though political observers point out there is little wiggle room.

Presidential officials have played down the likelihood of compromise or conditional acceptance of a special parliamentary probe into Kim.

The presidential office, government officials and PPP members reportedly held a closed-door meeting at Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's residence on Monday to discuss a response to the DP's move toward forming an independent counsel on Kim. Officials at the meeting, reportedly attended by PPP leaders and the presidential chief of staff, were said to have likewise reached a consensus to reject such calls for a special probe, including a conditions-based investigation after the April 10 parliamentary elections.

In turn, President Yoon could ultimately exercise his right to veto the bill.

The DP, however, is not backing down, and Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo, the party's floor leader, said in a meeting Tuesday that PPP interim chief Han's position on the special probe act on Kim "will be an important barometer that will determine the fate of the PPP's emergency steering committee."

He said a PPP's veto "will be a rejection of the people, fairness and common sense."

The special counsel bill was put on a parliamentary fast-track system in April, enabling it to be tabled at a plenary session automatically after an eight-month deliberation period.

The DP holds a parliamentary majority with 168 lawmakers in the 300-seat National Assembly, meaning it could pass the special counsel bill unilaterally.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]