Seoul, Oct 22 (IANS): South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has promised to consider a personnel reshuffle within the presidential office if some aides are found to have improperly influenced state affairs through their close ties with First Lady Kim Keon-hee, his office said.
Yoon remarked during a meeting with the ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon on Monday, where Han raised concerns about First Lady Kim Keon Hee's public activities and urged a personnel shake-up to assuage controversies surrounding her, Yonhap news agency reported.
"If you provide specific information on who is causing problems and how, I will review the details and determine whether to take action," Yoon was quoted as saying by a senior presidential official on Tuesday.
During the meeting, accompanied by the presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk, Han also recommended the appointment of a special inspector to look into allegations involving the First Lady.
Regarding the request for the First Lady to reduce her public engagements, Yoon explained that Kim is already scaling back her activities as she is "very exhausted and struggling."
"She is already refraining from external activities. Unless it's absolutely necessary, she won't engage in many external activities," Yoon was quoted as saying.
On the issue of cooperating with investigations into the allegations involving the First Lady, Yoon indicated that the ongoing prosecution investigation should be awaited before concluding anything, according to the official.
Regarding the lack of an appointment of a special inspector, Yoon said it is a matter that should be resolved through an agreement between the ruling and Opposition parties, according to officials.
According to the law, the National Assembly is required to recommend three candidates for a special inspector, from which the president appoints one.
The appointment of a special inspector is seen as a way to address public concerns over the First Lady, as the DP has reintroduced a Bill calling for a special counsel investigation into the allegations surrounding Kim.
The First Lady has been accused of involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, an illegal receipt of a luxury bag and interference in the PPP's candidate nominations ahead of the April general elections.
Last week, the DP passed the special counsel probe Bill in protest of the prosecution's decision not to indict Kim over her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors Inc. between 2009 and 2012.
The new Bill expands the scope of the proposed investigation to include recent allegations that Kim solicited the help of Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed political broker, to conduct public opinion surveys favourable to her husband ahead of the 2022 presidential election.
During the talks, Yoon expressed gratitude to PPP lawmakers for blocking the DP-led special counsel probe Bill, which was recently reintroduced after he vetoed it for a second time, according to presidential officials.
In regard to controversies surrounding Myung, Yoon explained Myung had provided advice during the PPP's 2022 presidential primary, but that their relationship was cut off midway. He added that his wife, however, may have maintained contact with Myung, according to officials.
Their meeting comes amid a growing sense of a crisis within the ruling party as the DP intensifies its political offensive against Yoon.
With his single five-year term at its midpoint, some DP lawmakers have even raised the possibility of impeaching Yoon over allegations surrounding the First Lady.