South Korea: Clash looms between ruling, main opposition parties over first lady controversy

Seoul: Political tensions between the South Korean ruling and main opposition parties are expected to intensify this week as the Democratic Party (DP) pushes for a new special counsel probe bill targeting the first lady, while the ruling party counters with a bid to appoint a special inspector.

At a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday, the DP plans to table a revised proposal for a special counsel probe into two key allegations involving first lady Keon Keon Hee -- alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in election nominations through a power broker, Yonhap news agency reported.

The DP has narrowed the scope of the bill from its previous unsuccessful bills, which encompassed a much broader range of allegations against Kim, in an apparent attempt to gain support from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and to increase the chances of the bill's passage.

At a supreme council meeting on Wednesday, DP floor leader Park Chan-dae called on PPP lawmakers to make "wise" decisions in the upcoming vote, saying the revised bill has already removed all clauses the PPP took issue with.

Observers say the DP seeks to create a rift within the PPP between lawmakers aligned with party leader Han Dong-hoon and President Yoon Suk Yeol, who have been at odds over the first lady's allegations, at a time when the DP awaits crucial court rulings for its leader Lee Jae-myung.

In an effort to counter the DP's offensive, the PPP plans to hold a general meeting of its lawmakers just before Thursday's plenary meeting, to unite their views on the appointment of a special inspector to look into possible corruption among the president's family members.

Pro-Yoon lawmakers and those aligned with Han initially held differing views on whether to push with the appointment of a special inspector but appear to have patched up their differences following Yoon's press conference last week.

The office of the special inspector was established in 2014 to conduct investigations into alleged irregularities committed by the president's spouse, close relatives, and senior presidential officials, but has been vacant since 2016.

The PPP has not recommended candidates for the special inspector, instead urging the DP to first recommend board members of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation. The foundation has remained inactive for eight years due to the DP snubbing the nomination process.