South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to hold his first news conference in about two years as he tries to set a new course for his conservative government after suffering a stinging defeat in parliamentary elections last month. Yoon is scheduled to have the news conference from 10 a.m.
Thursday in Seoul, where is expected to lay out his agenda for his remaining three years in office. He has little room to move after the election in which the progressive opposition bloc led by the Democratic Party increased its majority to 192 seats in the 300-seat unicameral parliament. Yoon pledged to overhaul his administration after the election loss and work with parliament to advance structural reform for the labor, education, pension and medical systems.
But one of his most pressing tasks might be trying to thwart plans from the Democratic Party for probes that could embarrass his government — including one concerning the first lady. The Democratic Party has sought legislation to start an investigation of Yoon’s wife Kim Keon Hee after a secretly recorded video surfaced several months ago that purportedly showed her being gifted a luxury Dior handbag. Yoon and his wife have denied any wrongdoing and the president has said the presentation of the bag was a “political maneuver.
" Read more: The Dior Bag Uproar That Shook South Korean Politics: QuickTake On Tuesday, Yoon appointed a former prosecutor as the new senior secretary to the president for civil affairs, a post he had p.
