South Korea’s Yoon faces another opposition bid to investigate his wife

Even the ruling party is demanding that Yoon Suk-yeol reshuffles his presidential office over the scandals involving his wife

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrive in Seongnam, South Korea for an event on October 1. Photo: AP

Published: 8:00am, 18 Oct 2024

South Korea’s ruling party leader has urged President Yoon Suk-yeol to rein in his embattled wife Kim Keon-hee and implement sweeping changes to the presidential office, signalling a deepening crisis in his scandals-hit administration.

“The situation has deteriorated significantly, not just because of the opposition’s political attacks, but due to our failure to dispel the public’s doubts about the first lady,” Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party (PPP), said on Thursday during a party meeting.

“First and foremost, it is urgent that the presidential office undergoes a significant reshuffle in relation to [the first lady issue],” he added.

Analysts say Han’s appeal underscores the mounting crisis within Yoon’s administration, which is struggling to manage growing allegations of misconduct involving Kim and a sharp decline in the president’s approval ratings.

His comments came after prosecutors, widely believed by the public to be under Yoon’s strong influence, opted not to pursue charges against Kim over allegations of stock manipulation.

In response, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) introduced a new bill on Thursday seeking a special investigation into the first lady, its third attempt after two previous similar bills were vetoed by Yoon.