With "Humiliating the President's Wife"
Opposition: "Ignoring the Rule of Law, Summons Unavoidable"
On the 21st, the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee issued a summons order for Kim Geon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, due to her absence as a witness at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office national audit. The opposition party argued that Kim Geon-hee disregarded the rule of law and continuously failed to attend the national audit, making the enforcement of the summons order inevitable. On the other hand, the ruling party opposed the issuance of the summons order for Kim Geon-hee, calling it an attempt to "embarrass" the president's wife.
Gwak Gyu-taek, a member of the People Power Party, stated during a procedural speech, "It is deeply regrettable that the issue of issuing an unacceptable summons order for (Kim Geon-hee) is being raised again at the national audit," adding, "There has been no precedent for this in the past, and issuing a summons order for the president's wife is nothing but an attempt to embarrass her."
In response, Park Gyun-taek, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, "How many times has Kim Geon-hee ignored the national demand of the National Assembly and failed to appear?" and said, "Isn't Kim Geon-hee herself a first lady without any precedent or custom? Because of Kim Geon-hee, the rule of law is being ignored and the administration is facing a crisis. Now is not the time for the ruling party to consider Kim Geon-hee's dignity."
According to the National Assembly's Witness and Expert Testimony Act, if a witness adopted at a national audit refuses to appear without justifiable reason, a summons order can be issued by resolution of the standing committee. If the witness refuses to comply with the summons order, they may face imprisonment of up to five years.
On the same day, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee set witnesses including Shim Woo-jung, the Prosecutor General whom the Democratic Party has threatened to impeach, and Kang Hye-kyung, who raised allegations of Kim Geon-hee's interference in candidate nominations, signaling a forthcoming battle over the truth. Kang is the person who claimed that during the 2022 presidential election, Myung Tae-gyun conducted opinion polls for President Yoon Suk-yeol in exchange for Kim Young-sun, a former People Power Party lawmaker, receiving nominations for the by-elections.
Opposition lawmakers are expected to focus on securing additional testimony from Kang regarding the controversy over the Yoon presidential couple's involvement in candidate nominations. Previously, Kang announced that she would provide detailed testimony supporting allegations related to Myung and Kim Geon-hee's interference in candidate nominations during the national audit.
The Democratic Party plans to discuss the impeachment motion against Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung in relation to the prosecution's decision not to indict Kim Geon-hee. In response, the People Power Party intends to actively assert the legitimacy of the prosecution's decision to counter the Democratic Party's impeachment offensive against Prosecutor General Shim. Park Jun-tae, the People Power Party's floor spokesperson, said in a statement, "Impeaching a prosecutor of the Republic of Korea and paralyzing the prosecution is nothing but retaliation against the legitimate investigation and indictment by the prosecution targeting Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, and the Democratic Party itself."
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