Bill to probe first lady passes again

A bill to appoint a special counsel to investigate President Yoon Suk Yeol’s wife Kim Keon Hee passed the National Assembly on Thursday.

All 191 lawmakers present voted to pass the bill, which was tabled by the opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The entire ruling People Power Party abstained from casting a ballot.

This was the third time a bill for a special counsel to investigate the first lady has been put to vote at the Assembly. The last two times the bill passed, the president vetoed it both times.

Two of the major allegations that the special prosecutor would be look into under the bill are the first lady’s alleged stock price manipulation and meddling in the Assembly election nomination process.

The ruling party refused to partake in the vote, saying the opposition party was trying to deflect the legal troubles faced by its leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who is due in court Friday for a sentencing trial.