Rival parties lock horns over 2nd vote of special counsel investigation bill on first lady
President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee enter Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 15, 2023, on their way back from a state visit to the Netherlands. Yonhap
Rival parties are locking horns over the scheduled second vote on a bill to launch a special counsel investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee, after it was returned to the National Assembly on Friday following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s veto.
Parties are seeking to exploit the second vote for a political advantage in the lead-up to the general elections in April. The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is seeking to hold the second vote at the earliest Assembly plenary session to repeal it. In the meantime, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which endorsed the bill, is considering requesting the Constitutional Court to review the jurisdiction dispute between the Assembly and the president in an effort to delay the second vote and annul another veto by Yoon.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, center, bangs the gavel to start a Cabinet meeting on a bill launching a special counsel investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee at the Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday presided over a Cabinet meeting and decided to request the Assembly to reconsider the bill on investigating the first lady's alleged involvement in stock price manipulation, as well as a separate special counsel bill to investigate six people accused of receiving at least 5 billion won each in bribes in relation to a land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. President Yoon immediately approved them.
“We express our deep regrets over the DPK’s unilateral passing of the two special counsel probe bills which are unrelated to the public livelihood, while neglecting pending bills for the people,” presidential chief of staff Lee Kwan-sup said in a press briefing.
Lee said the special counsel bills are “designed to manipulate the public sentiment before the general elections” as it is feared to “violate the people’s right to choice through an opposition-leaning special counsel’s press briefings on the cases during the election period.”
The bill about the first lady passed the National Assembly on Dec. 29, following the DPK’s push to investigate her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scandal involving a licensed BMW dealership in Korea by appointing an independent counsel recommended by the opposition side.
The possible probe was anticipated to be the one of the biggest political controversies before the general elections, as the investigation was expected to reach its peak in March. The Yoon administration and the PPP expressed their intention to veto the bill, claiming it was a trick of the DPK coming into the general elections.
As the president requested the Assembly reconsider the special counsel bill on his wife, it now requires the attendance of more than half of all registered lawmakers and approval by two-thirds of attending legislators for the act to be passed again. This is more difficult than the initial condition of half-attendance and half-approval.
Presidential chief of staff Lee Kwan-sup speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps
Though the DPK, holding 167 out of 298 seats in the Assembly, was able to pass the initial bill unilaterally on Dec. 29 with its majority, the bill now requires approvals from at least 199 lawmakers. Even if the DPK join hands with minor opposition parties and liberal independent lawmakers, the most it can secure is approximately 180, meaning the party needs approval from PPP members.
Given this, the PPP is seeking to hold the second vote as early as possible, so that it can wrap up political squabbles surrounding the issue and prevent any adverse impact on its election campaigns.
“Postponing the vote is unacceptable in terms of political morality,” PPP floor leader Rep. Yun Jae-ok told reporters, Friday. “The basic principle for a bill that came to the Assembly is put it for vote in the earliest plenary session. And we will demand voting under that principle.”
PPP spokesperson Rep. Park Jeong-ha said “the DPK is threatening to take the case to the Constitutional Court, but it is nothing more than a blatant trick,” and added that “the bill must be voted on again during a Jan. 9 plenary session.”
Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and three minor opposition parties hold a rally at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday, to protest President Yoon Suk Yeol's veto of a bill on a special counsel investigation into his wife Kim Keon Hee. Yonhap
The DPK is criticizing Yoon for using his veto power to “safeguard his family,” saying holding another vote on Jan. 9 is impossible.
“If they are innocent, the president and his family should reveal this before the public, but the president has kicked that opportunity away,” DPK floor leader Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo said. “We will accomplish the special counsel probe and make the president and the ruling party kneel before the public.”
DPK spokesperson Rep. Kang Sun-woo said the party is taking “a comprehensive look at all possible measures,” but its lawmakers are already hinting at filing a Constitutional Court review on disputes over jurisdiction, which will postpone the second vote until a ruling is made.
The DPK’s intention to delay the second vote is interpreted as a tactic to keep the issue alive during the election campaign period and seek approval from PPP members.
For the general elections slated for April 10, rival parties are now setting up committees to recommend their candidates for constituencies. If some sitting PPP lawmakers fail to get recommendations during that process, they may change their minds on the first lady’s special counsel investigation. To take advantage of this, the DPK is seeking to hold the second vote in February or later.