South Korea’s First Lady Kim Keon-hee is back in the spotlight after the arrest of impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol, with opposition parties urging for her to be taken into custody as well for alleged corruption and interference in state affairs.
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When investigators served Yoon an arrest warrant at his residence on Wednesday on insurrection charges over his failed martial law bid, Yoon reportedly told visiting lawmakers from his ruling People Power Party (PPP) of his wife: “She dines little these days.”
One of the lawmakers, Kwon Young-jin, told journalists after seeing Kim at the residence: “She didn’t look well.”
Critics have referred to Kim as “VIP No. 1”, alleging that Yoon’s 52-year-old wife influenced his schedules, key policy decisions and personnel appointments.
“We’re not even sure who the real president was,” said the second-largest opposition party, Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), in a statement hours after Yoon was arrested on Wednesday. RKP accused Kim of peddling influence and “deeply interfering with state affairs”, including allegedly playing a role in the selection of candidates for last year’s National Assembly elections.
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“Kim Keon-hee is at the centre of all kinds of scandals. As she has been wielding the greatest influence over Yoon, her possible involvement in the insurrection cannot be ruled out,” the RKP statement added.