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President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at an event on Korean livelihoods put on by the Ministry of Economy and Finance at a human resources development office for MSEs in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Jan. 4. (pool photo)

On Thursday, the National Assembly transferred to the presidential office its bill to assign a special prosecutor to investigate the first lady Kim Keon-hee for allegations related to stock manipulation. The bill was passed on Dec. 28, a week earlier. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol immediately convened an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on Friday and exercised his presidential powers to veto the bill.  

Aware of the National Assembly’s intent to relay the bill, Yoon delayed the year’s first Cabinet meeting on Tuesday from the morning to the afternoon to prepare the veto process. He essentially utilized 2024’s first Cabinet meeting — an occasion for discussing the direction of state affairs for the new year — as a private shield to protect his wife. Ridiculous. 

Meetings of the administration’s Cabinet are supposed to be held every Tuesday, yet Yoon convened one on Friday. Is blocking an investigation into the first lady that urgent and critical to state affairs? The president’s behavior only makes him look like he’s trying to minimize the personal discomfort of his spouse. 

He’s also using members of the Cabinet, people who have been appointed to oversee state affairs, as personal pawns to block an investigation into the first lady. The more Yoon frets and overreaches to shield Kim Keon-hee, the more suspicious the public will become of his actions and intentions.   

Rather than a president who is devoted to running the country and prioritizing state affairs, Yoon looks more like a husband doing everything in his power to protect his wife. Critics are calling his behavior an unconstitutional abuse of the presidential powers bestowed upon him by the people. 

Back in April, when Yoon vetoed a controversial bill that would have required the government to purchase surplus rice, his justification and reasoning for his choice were legitimately based on his views on policy. This time, however, the bill calls for a special investigation into his spouse. There is clearly a conflict of interests, which obliges Yoon to restrain from exercising his official authority. Yet Yoon is exercising his presidential powers of veto, which are designed for exceptional situations involving public policy, for the personal goal of shielding his spouse. Since its inception, the Yoon administration has maintained a flimsy facade of common sense and justice, but now even that has basically collapsed.  

Yoon is also in direct opposition to the public demand for a special probe. Various surveys conducted since the National Assembly’s passage of the bill indicate that around 65% of Koreans support the investigation. Prosecutors were first alerted about the first lady’s stock manipulation allegations in April 2020, but the investigation has basically been left on hold. The public is calling for the investigation to begin in earnest and reveal the truth. 

In October 2023, Yoon claimed that “the people are always right.” Yet here he is, ignoring the people and focusing exclusively on his spouse. As a democracy, this country is for the people. How long are the people going to put up with Yoon’s behavior? 

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]