First lady Kim Keon Hee, who was designated as a witness for a second parliamentary hearing on an online petition demanding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, failed to show up at the inquiry at the National Assembly, Friday. Shown above is pastor Choi Jae-young, who said he gave Kim a Christian Dior bag during their meeting in September 2022. Yonhap Rival parties escalate clash over KCC chief nomination By Kwak Yeon-soo The conflict between rival parties escalated on Friday during a second parliamentary hearing on an online petition calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
This session focused on allegations against First Lady Kim Keon Hee, particularly her acceptance of a luxury handbag from a pastor and her alleged involvement in the stock manipulation of Deutsche Motors. The National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), held the first hearing on July 19, focusing on Yoon and other presidential aides' alleged interference in the military's investigation into the death of a Marine, which occurred during a search and rescue operation in a flooded area in July 2023.
Although the committee had requested the attendance of 24 witnesses, including the first lady, her mother Choi Eun-soon, and Prosecutor General Lee One-seok, only six appeared for the second hearing. The presidential office suggested that Kim would not attend, saying that it does not concede on.