300,000 stage protest demanding Yoon approve bill for first lady probe

Members and supporters of the liberal Democratic Party march near Seoul Station in central Seoul on Saturday during a massive rally calling for an independent counsel probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee. [JOINT PRESS CORPS] Lawmakers from the liberal Democratic Party (DP) and its supporters staged a large protest in central Seoul on Saturday demanding that President Yoon Suk Yeol approve a bill to establish a special counsel probe into various allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee. According to the DP, around 300,000 people gathered near Seoul Station before marching through the downtown area. Almost all 170 current DP lawmakers, including party chairman Lee Jae-myung and floor leader Park Chan-dae, took part in the rally, which the party called “a day of action for the people.” The rally took place amid mounting allegations against the president and his wife, who has been accused of involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme, accepting a luxury handbag and interference in the party's candidate nominations for the April general elections. Suspicions against the presidential couple have only grown after Myung Tae-kyun, a shadowy political advisor and self-proclaimed “kingmaker,” publicly accused both of interfering in the conservative People Power Party’s (PPP) candidate nomination process. In a recording recently released by the DP, Yoon can be heard telling Myung that he had recommended former PPP lawmaker Kim Young-sun to seek the party’s nomination to run in the June 2022 by-election in the Changwon and Uichang constituency. Kim, who arrived at the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office on Sunday morning to face questions regarding allegations that she had illegally paid Myung for his advice during the race, told reporters that she had “nothing to do with” the president’s push to nominate her. Nevertheless, the recording adds to suspicions that the president and the first lady sought Myung’s opinion on the PPP’s candidate nominations ahead of several elections. At Saturday’s rally, Park said the DP would seek a special counsel probe as he accused the first lady of “wielding presidential power” and enjoying “immunity from any wrongdoing.” Other DP lawmakers called for Yoon’s resignation over the allegations that his wife exercises undue influence over the government through a small coterie of former and current administration officials. While Lee stopped short of calling for impeachment, he mentioned that former conservative President Park Geun-hye was forced out of office by mass protests against the influence-peddling committed by her confidant and unofficial advisor Choi Soon-sil. However, PPP spokesman Park Jun-tae accused the DP on Sunday of trying to “build up” support for an early termination of Yoon’s term by impeachment while “providing a bulletproof cover” for Lee, who is being tried on charges of bribery and breach of trust dating back to his tenure as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor. BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]