Ruling party chief vows to follow through with appointing special inspector over first lady issues

Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon vowed Wednesday to follow through with his plan to get a special inspector to look into possible corruption among the president's family members, citing concerns about various allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. Han of the People Power Party (PPP) made the remark during a press conference marking his 100th day in office, saying there have to be solutions to "the points the people are worried about" in order to move forward on the government's four key areas of reform, namely pensions, the medical sector, education and labor. "In order to build the momentum for reform, there are things that need to be resolved before the end of November," he said. When asked to elaborate on the points the people are worried about, he answered, "There are concerns and worries about issues related to first lady Kim Keon Hee, and it's clear that issue is a key part." Kim has been accused of involvement in a stock manipulation scheme, illegally accepting a luxury bag and interfering with the PPP's candidate nominations ahead of the April general elections. The allegations have been a major headache for both the presidential office and the ruling party, leading Han to recently demand the appointment of a special inspector by President Yoon Suk Yeol. The office of the special inspector was established in 2014 to conduct investigations into alleged irregularities committed by the president's spouse and close relatives and senior presidential officials but has been vacant since 2016. "The special inspector is an institution that surveils power and prevents problems from power in advance," Han said. "That role is absolutely necessary at this moment." Source: Yonhap News Agency