Nat'l Assembly passes bill on another special counsel probe of Yoon over martial law bid
The National Assembly passes a bill mandating a special counsel probe into two key allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, Dec. 12. Yonhap
The opposition-controlled National Assembly on Thursday passed another bill that seeks a special counsel probe into President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law and a bill proposing a special probe of the first lady.
The special counsel probe bill on Yoon passed the Assembly in a 195-86 vote with two abstentions at a plenary session.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Assembly also passed an opposition-led bill calling for a "permanent" special counsel to investigate Yoon's martial law imposition.
Unlike a regular special counsel probe, the president cannot exercise the right to veto a bill over a permanent special counsel, though he can delay the appointment of the counsel itself.
The parliament passed another bill mandating a special counsel probe into two key allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee — her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in election nominations through a power broker.
This is the fourth version of the bill targeting the first lady following a similar proposal vetoed by Yoon last month, which was ultimately scrapped in a revote last Saturday.
The bill was just two votes short of the 200 votes needed from the 300-member National Assembly to override the veto.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik announces the opening of a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Dec. 12. Yonhap
During Thursday's session, the Assembly also passed two impeachment motions against Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and Cho Ji-ho, head of the Korean National Police Agency, over their roles in Yoon's martial law imposition.
The impeachment motions passed 195-100 against Park and 202-88 against Cho.
With the motions' passage, the two will be suspended from their duties until the Constitutional Court rules on whether to uphold their impeachment.
Additionally, the main opposition Democratic Party will introduce a new impeachment motion against Yoon later in the day and report it to a plenary session on Friday. It aims to put the motion up for a vote during an upcoming parliamentary plenary session Saturday.
By law, an impeachment motion must be put to a vote between 24 and 72 hours after it is reported to a plenary session.
Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea submit two bills mandating special counsel probes into President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration and first lady Kim Keon Hee's allegations, including her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in election nominations, Dec. 9. Yonhap
On top of the special counsel probe bill against Yoon, the National Assembly has passed an opposition-led bill calling for a "permanent" special counsel to investigate his martial law imposition.
Unlike a regular special counsel probe, the president cannot exercise the right to veto a bill over a permanent special counsel, though he can delay the appointment of the counsel itself. (Yonhap)