Ruling Party Signals Political Pressure Through Special Inspector Ahead of Kim Keon Hee's Detention Expiry

[Financial News] On the 23rd, the Democratic Party of Korea highlighted the revival of the special inspector system after a decade, following the adoption of the confirmation hearing report on nominee Choi Gil-soo. With Kim Keon Hee's detention period set to expire on the 31st, the party appears to be continuing political pressure on the previous administration by directly raising the issue of corruption involving the president's spouse under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
At a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly that day, Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said, "If the president makes the final appointment of nominee Choi, the special inspector system, which has been on hold for 10 years, will be set in motion again. During the presidential campaign, the president pledged to appoint a special inspector and guarantee the office substantive authority, and since taking office has called on the National Assembly to promptly carry out the necessary procedures." He explained that this reflected "a determination to prevent corruption in advance through strict self-discipline and oversight."
The special inspector's office is an independent body that examines misconduct by the president's spouse, relatives within the fourth degree of kinship, and civil servants at the rank of senior secretary or above in the Presidential Office, among others. The post had remained vacant for about 10 years following the resignation of Lee Seok-soo, the first special inspector, in 2016.
In particular, Kim said, "The need for constant oversight of those around those in power is clear, given the state affairs scandal under the Park Geun-hye administration and corruption involving the president's spouse under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration." He also signaled political pressure targeting conservative figures, including those aligned with Yoon Suk Yeol.
These remarks came just eight days before Kim Keon Hee's detention period was due to expire. She is standing trial over various allegations, including stock-price manipulation involving Deutsche Motors, opinion polls related to Myeong Tae-gyun, and receiving money and valuables from the Unification Church. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on an additional detention warrant on the 27th; if a new warrant is not issued, Kim could be released and face trial without being detained. Kim Min-seok's mention of Kim Keon Hee is also seen as an effort to use the restoration of the special inspector system to revive controversy over corruption involving the presidential spouse under the previous administration and heighten political pressure.
The scope of the special inspector's oversight has also emerged as an issue between the ruling and opposition parties. At last month's confirmation hearing, the Democratic Party argued that corruption allegations involving officials in the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's Presidential Office should also be examined. The People Power Party, by contrast, raised the need to scrutinize senior figures in the current administration, citing allegations that Kim Hyun-ji, head of the Presidential Office's First Annex, had been involved in personnel matters. At the time, responding to a question from the People Power Party about whether Kim should be examined, nominee Choi said that under the Special Inspector Act, those subject to oversight were officials at or above the rank of senior secretary. However, he did not rule out the possibility of examining Kim as a person connected to an oversight case.
Kim said to nominee Choi, "I hope you will carry out independent and fair inspections based on your experience and expertise to date." He added, "I trust you will perform your duties with conviction, as you pledged at the confirmation hearing to conduct rigorous inspections in accordance with law and principle, with no one off limits."
[email protected] Jiwon Song Reporter