Yoon faces daunting domestic issues as he returns home from NATO summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee board Air Force One at Dulles Airport near Washington, Thursday (local time) to depart for home after attending the NATO summit. Joint Press Corps

President Yoon Suk Yeol faces a range of daunting issues at home as he wrapped up his trip to the annual NATO summit in Washington, Thursday (local time).

The issues include the looming specter of a potential National Assembly impeachment hearing where his wife, Kim Keon Hee, has been called to testify.

Yoon is also under increasing pressure from the rising infighting within the People Power Party (PPP) amid the ongoing leadership race. The conflict, ignited by the first lady’s controversial text messages sent to Han Dong-hoon — Yoon’s former right-hand man — threatens to further complicate matters for the presidential couple.

Earlier this week, the Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the main opposition Democratic 토토 Party of Korea (DPK), decided to hold two hearings on July 19 and 26 to discuss the impeachment of the president.

The decision follows an online petition on the Assembly website calling for Yoon’s impeachment for his policy blunders and ongoing controversies surrounding his wife. The petition has amassed around 1.4 million signatures as of Friday.

The legislation committee has requested the first lady to testify at the second hearing, where the opposition lawmakers seek to scrutinize scandals surrounding her, including the alleged illegal acceptance of a Dior handbag from a Korean American pastor in 2022 and involvement in stock manipulation that occurred in 2009 and 2012.

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