The opposition and the ruling camp are trying to use this fact to influence the next general election, which will be held on April 10, 2024. Ordinary Koreans, according to polls, mostly support the idea of an independent investigation into possible violations of the law by the president’s wife, but the ruling party and the administration of the head of the republic consider this entire initiative to be exclusively internal. Political fight to obtain votes in the elections.
On Friday, January 5, a meeting of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan was chaired by Prime Minister Han Duk-soo, where, among other matters, the issue of initiating a mechanism for the appointment of an independent special prosecutor, who had been submitted for approval. In fact, there were even two laws: in one, the deputies proposed appointing a special prosecutor to investigate suspicions against the wife of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yun Seok-yeol, Kim Gun-hee, about possible fraud with shares of the company Dutcher Motors, and in the second, investigate possible corruption schemes during the execution of a development project in the city of Seongnam, Gyeonggi province, with which the opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is suspected of being linked.
After the Cabinet of Ministers meeting, it was decided to return both laws to parliament for review, which was immediately approved by President Yoon Seok-yeol. In reality, “return for review” means that the president uses his veto power over laws passed by parliament.
This result was expected, and immediately both opposing sides (the dominant opposition in parliament and the opposing ruling party, the government and the presidential administration) launched a second round of political struggle. In theory, parliament can override the president’s veto, but to do so it needs the consent not of the majority, as when a law is passed, but of at least two-thirds of the members of parliament. Currently, opposition parties have a secure majority in the People’s Assembly (Parliament) of the Republic of Kazakhstan, amounting to about 180 seats out of a total of 298 seats. However, overriding the veto will require at least 198-199 votes, meaning an outside agreement and about two dozen ruling party deputies, which is unlikely to happen. Of course, the president understands this very well and therefore confidently “vetoed” the bills, including the one providing for an investigation against his wife.
It is also important to take into account the fact that, according to polls, about 70 percent of ordinary Koreans support the idea of an independent investigation into the president’s wife, but this, apparently, does not please the leader of the country or the ruling camp. The latter consider that this is a ploy by the opposition with an eye on the next parliamentary elections, which will be held in April 2024.
Now the game is a little different. The opposition demands that the President’s veto of the law be reviewed by the Constitutional Court, while the ruling party insists on an immediate new vote. If the case is sent to the Constitutional Court, it will take quite a long time, and the court’s verdict, whatever it may be, will allow this whole story to drag on for a couple more months, piquing interest in it until the parliamentary elections. A new vote, in which, obviously, the veto will not be overridden, will inevitably put an end to this whole story and could take place as early as Tuesday, January 9.
The interests of both parties are obvious: the opposition is trying to delay everything until the elections to maintain interest and “popular anger” until April 2024, while the ruling side is trying to “bury” the whole story as soon as possible. , which allows us to expect a decrease in public interest in the investigation into the First Lady.
Although the internal political interests of both sides are obvious, they all cover up their actions with pretentious statements and beautiful words about the “interests of the people.” Thus, the head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Lee Gwan Seop, regretted the actions of the opposition and stressed that both laws “have nothing to do with concern for public well-being” in the context of other measures. pressing. issues. The opposition was also accused of trying to “manipulate public opinion in relation to the upcoming general elections.” Ruling People Power Party spokesman Yoon Jae-ok called for a new vote on both laws as soon as possible, citing “principles of political morality.”
As can be assumed, his opponents, mainly the opposition Toburo Democratic Party, also appeal to the “interests of all the people,” accusing the president of trying to “protect his family from a fair investigation,” recalling Yoon Seok-yeol, who was attorney general, his strong statements that “everyone is equal before the law and there can be no exceptions.” It turns out that, as the opposition claims, “everyone is equal,” but the president is willing to make an exception for his wife.
“If no one is to blame, why be afraid? Let the president and his family prove it to the public! However, our president decided to abandon this path… We will achieve an independent investigation into the president’s wife, the ruler! The party must kneel before public demands! – Hong Ik Pyo, head of the parliamentary faction of the Toburo opposition party, said no less pathetically.
According to the ruling camp, all suspicions about attempted stock manipulation by the current first lady have already been previously investigated, so there is no point in bringing up the story again. The opposition believes that the initial investigation was influenced by the prosecutor’s office where the current president came from, and everyone took into account that Kim Gun-hee could eventually obtain the status of “first lady” (which ultimately happened), and therefore It is better to “let everything slow down.”
In general, it is difficult to say where sincere concern for truth, justice and the interests of the people ends, and where the party’s narrow goals of obtaining as many votes as possible, manipulating public opinion for its own benefit, begin. In any case, the issue of the investigation into the wife of the President of the Republic of Korea will remain one of the main topics of South Korea’s domestic politics and will inevitably influence the preferences of the electorate, even if the ruling party manages to conclude quickly the whole story by holding a new vote in the coming days.
