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| The minor opposition Justice Party floor leader Lee Eun-ju, left, and Rep. Bae Jin-gyo submit a bill to the National Assembly calling for a special counsel probe into stock manipulation allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, March 24. Yonhap |
The minor opposition Justice Party tabled a bill Friday calling for a special counsel investigation of first lady Kim Keon Hee over stock manipulation allegations.
Kim is accused of being involved in the stock manipulation case where Kwon Oh-soo, former head of Deutsch Motors, a BMW car dealer in Korea, allegedly conspired with influential market players to boost the company's stock prices years ago. Kwon was convicted and given a suspended prison sentence for the charge.
The bill was signed by 12 lawmakers, including all six lawmakers of the Justice Party and five lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
It is similar to a separate bill proposed by the DPK earlier this month but stipulates that the president should pick a special prosecutor from two candidates, both recommended by the DPK and the minor opposition parties.
The DPK's proposal differs in that it only allows a parliamentary negotiating bloc, to which the president does not belong, to recommend candidates for a special prosecutor. In the current National Assembly, the DPK is the only such negotiating bloc.
The DPK and the Justice Party are expected to negotiate the matter to come up with a unified bill. (Yonhap)
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