Latest news with #KimKeonHee
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Former residence of South Korea's Yoon under lawmakers' scrutiny over ‘pet pool'
A shallow pool inside South Korea 's presidential residence has sparked a debate among lawmakers over whether it was used by former president Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife for their pets. There has been increasing speculation that the pool was used for pets and not humans, said Representative Kim Byoung-joo at a meeting held on Monday by the Democratic Party, which became the country's ruling party following President Lee Jae-myung 's election win last week. 'I've looked around the space inside the official residence of the president, and a pool grabbed my attention,' said Kim, who visited the residence in the centre of Seoul along with other Democratic Party lawmakers on Saturday, according to a report by The Korea Herald. The pool appeared to have a length of five metres long, a width of two metres and a depth of 50cm at the shallow end. 'We should closely examine whether the Yoons installed facilities for personal use with taxpayers' money after moving into the official residence, where no one can monitor how the money is being spent,' Kim said. Protesters rallying against then-South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul last December following his failed martial law attempt. Photo: AP The lawmaker added that Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, were believed to also have a cat tower worth 5 million won (US$3,680).
Reuters
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
South Korea's ousted former leader Yoon votes in presidential election
South Korea's ousted former president Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee cast their ballots at a school near their private residence in Seoul for the country's next president on Tuesday (June 3).
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's probes into Yoon and wife: search for truth or ‘political revenge'?
The passage of three laws mandating special investigations into corruption and abuse of power allegations involving impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol and his controversial wife marks a significant setback for South Korea's conservatives, according to analysts. Former first lady Kim Keon-hee was long considered beyond the reach of law enforcement, largely due to her outsize influence over her husband and state affairs. But that 'untouchable' status appears to be fading following a change in political leadership after six months of chaos sparked by Yoon's martial law fiasco last December. When the couple's political nemesis, liberal President Lee Jae-myung , was elected on Tuesday, he pledged in his inauguration speech to 'bring those responsible to justice through thorough investigations'. Two days later, his ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) pushed through bills calling for special investigations into the December 3 martial law declaration, alleged cover-up of a marine's death in 2023, and former first lady. The three bills are expected to take effect as early as this week, once formally endorsed by Lee. Supporters hand flowers to President Lee Jae-myung as he departs for the National Assembly to attend his inauguration ceremony on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters 'This move provides momentum to resolve the aftermath of the martial law decree and put the country's politics back on a normal track,' Jhee Byong-kuen, a political-science professor at Chosun University, told This Week in Asia.
NHK
5 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
South Korea's President Lee briefed by Yoon's ministers at 1st Cabinet meeting
South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung has convened the first Cabinet meeting and has been briefed by ministers over pending issues after he took office on Wednesday. The meeting on Thursday was joined by those from preceding Yoon Suk-yeol administration as the process to choose new ministers is still underway. Lee said he wants to hear from those ministers as they are most aware of issues that government ministries and agencies are facing. He also said that he wants them to listen to his opinions. Also on Thursday, South Korea's National Assembly passed bills to appoint special counsels to investigate Yoon over his failed martial law declaration and allegations about his wife Kim Keon-hee. The former First Lady allegedly accepted a luxury bag. The bills were approved by the assembly before, but vetoed by then President Yoon. The People Power Party, which is now on the opposition side, is accusing the ruling Democratic Party of leading the forcible passage of the legislation. The partisan divisions between the ruling and opposition camps have yet to be narrowed even after the presidential election.
Hans India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
South Korea: PPP apologises for ex-first lady's actions, vows to become more transparent
Seoul: South Korea's conservative People Power Party (PPP) apologised on Wednesday for the past actions of former first lady Kim Keon Hee, saying it will become more transparent about the personal affairs of a president's wife. Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the PPP's interim leader, made the apology in a press conference at the National Assembly as the next presidential election is less than two weeks away on June 3. "The People Power Party respectfully apologises to the people for having failed to fathom the people's concerns about first lady Kim Keon Hee's past actions," he said. "The People Power Party promises to reflect deeply and change fundamentally." The party leader made three promises, starting with a "transparent vetting" of the first lady to satisfy the people's right to know. "The first lady may have past mistakes, but we will not hide them for being in the private sphere," he said. The PPP will also endow a public role and responsibility to the first lady and disclose transparently how her official budget is executed while holding her legally accountable in the event she abuses her official authority or commits an illegal act, he said. In addition, the party will make systemic changes to ensure the president's family, relatives and close acquaintances are inspected and surveilled transparently. Kim, the wife of ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, was under constant public scrutiny during her husband's term amid allegations that she illegally accepted a luxury bag, meddled in candidate nominations for elections and engaged in other irregularities, Yonhap news agency reported. According to legal sources on Wednesday, the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office recently seized Kim's cellphone as part of a reinvestigation into her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme. The reinvestigation began last month after the Supreme Court confirmed the convictions of nine people involved in the manipulation of stock prices of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, from 2009-2012. Prosecutors had initially decided last October not to indict Kim in the Korea, People Power Party (PPP), Kim Keon Hee, Presidential Election, Political Transparency, Stock Manipulation Scand
