South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pictured with wife Kim Keon-hee in June 2024. - AFP
SEOUL: The Democratic Party of Korea on Friday (Feb 14) pressed for to be investigated over her possible role in the president’s martial law declaration.
The calls for Kim’s investigation came after the National Intelligence Service director Cho Tae-yong on Feb 13 admitted to having received text messages from the first lady the day before martial law was declared. Cho said he does not remember what the first lady said in the messages.
“No matter how you put it, there is no reason why Kim Keon Hee would be texting and communicating with the head of the spy service,” Representative Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party’s floor leader, said at the party’s leadership meeting.
Park said Kim needed to be investigated to find out whether she was involved in the discussion and imposition of martial law.
Park claimed the high-profile scandal surrounding a political broker who allegedly issued polls to give Yoon -- then a presidential candidate -- an advantage over his rival may be a reason why Kim might be seeking to turn the situation around through martial law.
Appearing as a witness at Yoon’s impeachment hearing on Thursday, Cho also claimed Hong Jang-won, former first deputy director of the NIS, was close to some Democratic Party lawmakers and asked for favours from them while he was still with the spy service.
Hong was fired as the NIS’ deputy director after he apparently blew the whistle on Cho, saying the spy chief was aware of the president’s plan to arrest politicians but did nothing. - The Korea Herald/ANN
