PPP leader steps up calls for presidential office reshuffle to tamp down controversies over first lady

The leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Monday stepped up calls for a personnel overhaul of the presidential office to address controversies that first lady Kim Keon Hee has a coterie of officials influencing state affairs.

“(Kim) is not a person that holds any official position,” Han Dong-hoon told reporters after a supreme council meeting. “Such political connections should not exist.”

PPP officials suspect that around seven officials in the presidential office are either directly or indirectly in communication with the first lady, inappropriately influencing decisions in personnel issues and policies.

“If the ruling party leader, as opposed to someone from the outside, makes such a request and the president accepts it and uses it as an opportunity for change and transformation, it could restore public trust,” Han said.

PPP lawmakers aligned with Han also escalated their calls for the presidential office to dismiss those close to the first lady, while those aligned with President Yoon Suk Yeol fired back, criticizing them for publicly raising the issue and intensifying a political rift ahead of Han’s meeting with Yoon.

Yoon and Han are set to hold a one-on-one meeting early next week for discussions likely to focus on allegations involving Kim, including her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, her acceptance of a luxury bag and her alleged interference with the PPP’s candidate nominations ahead of the April general elections.

A senior presidential official told reporters there is no unofficial line outside the official organization of the presidential office.

“A personnel overhaul based on what wrong?” the official asked. “Where is the first lady line?” he added, referring to speculations about her allies.

The president has the final say on personnel matters, the official said, and the only “line” inside the presidential office is the “president’s line.”

Han had been considered one of Yoon’s closest confidants during their time as prosecutors, but their relationship has soured due mostly to differences over how to handle Kim’s controversies and other sensitive issues.

Earlier this month, Han called on the prosecution to come up with a decision “acceptable to the people” in its investigation into stock manipulation allegations involving the first lady. Last Thursday, Han also said Kim should refrain from carrying out public activities.