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 matters deemed "unconstitutional and illegal." On Friday, DPK members of the judiciary committee flocked to the presidential residence in Seoul's Hannam-dong to deliver complaints to Kim.
Police blocked their entry. "The hearing took place in response to a petition that gained more than 1.4 million consents from citizens.
We express deep regret over the presidential office and the first lady for not attending the hearing. It is a violation of the National Assembly Act and the Witness Appraisal Act," DPK Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui said.
Lee submitted a reason for his absence, saying testimonies could unfairly influence the investigations and trials. Jung said he would file a complaint against witnesses who refused to attend the hearing without good reason. Police block Democratic Party of Korea members of the National Assembly's judiciary committee as they try to enter the presidential residence in Seoul, Friday.
Yonhap The ruling People Power Party (PPP) cried foul over the hearing and the petition. "This hearing is unconstitutional and illegal. It's an act of human rights violation to call witnesses who are on trial or under investigation to the hearing," Rep.
Song Seog-jun of the PPP said during a committee session. Controversy intensified over Kim after the first lady was questioned by the prosecutors outside the prosecution's office over the weekend, citing safety and security reasons. The prosecutor general apologized to the public, Monday, alleging preferential treatment in the prosecution's questioning of Kim.
The first lady also apologized to the public, Thursday, via her attorney for causing public concerns. The DPK has pushed for the special counsel probe bill concerning the first lady. Yoon accepted the resignation of Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Vice Chairman Lee Sang-in on Friday.
Earlier in the day, Lee offered to step down ahead of a National Assembly vote on his impeachment. "We express serious regret over the opposition party's actions to neutralize KCC, which oversees not only broadcasting but also IT and communications policies," the presidential office said. Similarly, on July 2, Yoon accepted the resignation of Kim Hong-il, then KCC chief.
Rival parties continued to clash over the nomination of Lee Jin-sook, who has been tapped as the new head of the KCC. The KCC has the right to recommend and appoint board members of public broadcasters, which effectively allows it to influence public opinion. The Assembly held a confirmation hearing on Lee for the third consecutive day, Friday, with the DPK threatening to impeach her if she takes the post.
The opposition fears that the Yoon administration will exert more control on public broadcasters. In a related move, the PPP launched a filibuster Thursday to protest the DPK's push to pass four broadcasting bills with the intent of controlling public broadcasters. A filibuster involves lawmakers holding the floor for extended periods as a way to prevent a parliamentary vote or delay the passage of a bill.
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