Yoon to recommence operation of special inspector

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to appoint a special inspector charged with preventing corruption involving top officials and presidential relatives after the position was left vacant in the current Moon Jae-in administration.

The position was first introduced in 2014 under the Park Geun-hye administration, but it has been vacant since May 2015. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has been demanding the Moon government to name a special inspector.

"It is the president-elect's consistent belief that laws and principles must be applied to anyone without exception," said Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the PPP, Yoon's spokesperson, at a press briefing. "The transition committee will discuss related matters and report to the president-elect."

Talk of a need for the special inspector system surfaced during the election campaign, as Yoon faced various corruption allegations surrounding his wife and his in-laws.

Using a special inspector also gained steam when Yoon, a former prosecutor general, vowed to abolish the office of senior secretary for civil affairs handling issues surrounding the president's family and senior officials.

Meanwhile, Yoon is also considering not using the term "first lady" in the incoming government and instead using "the wife of the president" or "the spouse of the president," officials said. (Yonhap)