Gov't, opposition set to clash over special counsel probe into Marine's death

A bill, aimed at launching a special counsel probe into the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun, is passed in the opposition-controlled National Assembly, May 2, while ruling People Power Party members exited the session in protest. Yonhap

Tension between the ruling and opposition parties is becoming more heightened as President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to veto a bill aimed at launching a special counsel probe into a young Marine’s death, during a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

Opposition parties, in response, are poised to push for a revote the following week in an attempt to override the presidential veto.

The political strife over Yoon’s potential veto, which would mark the 10th of its kind, at the end of the 21st Assembly will be stretched to the forthcoming 22nd parliament that will open on May 30 and continue to witness a strain in relations between the two main rival parties.

The Assembly, controlled by opposition parties, passed the special counsel bill without contest during a plenary session on May 2, after the ruling People Power Party (PPP) exited the session in protest.

The bill aims to mandate an investigation into the government’s alleged interference in the military’s investigation of the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun during a flood rescue operation in July 2023.

In his press conference on May 9, Yoon indicated his willingness to veto the bill, citing that an investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is currently underway.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is planning to step up its protest against the Yoon administration and the PPP, if the president exercises his veto power.

The DPK’s plans include staging a large-scale rally, together with other minor opposition parties and civic groups, in central Seoul and holding a press conference in front of the presidential office in Yongsan District. The party is also considering a sit-in demonstration at the Assembly.

Members of the Center for Military Human Rights Korea and other civic groups hold a press conference near the presidential office in Yongsan District, May 14, urging President Yoon Suk Yeol not to veto the bill, aimed at launching a special counsel probe into the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun. Yonhap

The DPK currently holds 155 seats out of a 300-member parliament. When seats held by other opposition parties are added, the number increases to 180.

This is not enough seats for the opposition to override the veto in a revote on its own, as a vetoed bill requires approval by two-thirds of the parliament or 200 seats. This means the DPK needs at least 20 votes from the PPP.

“The necessity of the special counsel probe into the Marine’s death was already confirmed during the April 10 general elections,” a DPK official said, citing the crushing election defeat of the PPP, which was largely interpreted as the public’s negative sentiment toward the government.

“If Yoon vetoes the bill and the revote fails to override it, we will propose the bill again in the next Assembly right away.”

On the other hand, the ruling party stuck to a wait-and-see position amid the CIO’s ongoing investigation. The party is expected to concentrate its efforts to prevent any deviation of its lawmakers in the revote.

“Our members shared the unfairness of this special counsel bill pushed by the DPK,” a PPP official said.