Yoon to appoint special inspector if rival parties recommend candidates: presidential official

President Yoon Suk Yeol will appoint a special inspector to address concerns over first lady Kim Keon Hee if the ruling and opposition parties agree to recommend candidates, a senior presidential official said Wednesday.

The remark came after Han Dong-hoon, leader of ruling People Power Party (PPP), said the party should begin the process of the appointment of an independent inspector responsible for investigating matters related to president’s spouse, relatives and senior presidential aides.

Under law, the National Assembly is required to recommend three candidates with at least 15 years of legal experience, from which the president selects one. Although the position was established in 2014, it has been vacant since 2016 following the resignation of the previous inspector.

“As (Yoon) already said several times, (the president) will appoint a special inspector if the ruling and opposition parties reach an agreement on (candidate recommendations),” a senior presidential official told reporters.

During his meeting with Yoon on Monday, Han demanded restricting the first lady’s public activities and appointing a special inspector to address public concerns over various allegations, and to help improve approval ratings for both the president and the ruling party.

The PPP has not recommended candidates for the special inspector, instead urging the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) to first recommend board members of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation. The foundation has remained inactive for eight years due to the DP snubbing the nomination process.

A senior official noted the ruling party needs to clarify its stance on linking the special inspector with the North Korean foundation, adding, “There are ongoing discussions within the party, so we should wait and see.”

The appointment of a special inspector is seen as a way to address public concerns over the first lady, as the DP last week 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.