<기사제목>Presidential Office on the Yellow Envelope Act: "Careful Consideration... Forcing Legislation Is the Start of the Problem" (Comprehensive)

Presidential Office Emphasizes 'Principle'... Yoon Plans Third Veto on Yellow Envelope Act
Message in Cabinet Meeting Remarks... "Establishing Rule of Law is the Task"
Concerns Over 'Closed-off Image' Due to Consecutive Vetoes... Opposition's General Election Strategy

On the 25th, the Presidential Office pointed out that the Democratic Party of Korea's push for the direct referral of the Yellow Envelope Act to the plenary session of the National Assembly was "the beginning of the problem due to forced legislation within the National Assembly." While avoiding a direct stance on President Yoon Seok-yeol's exercise of the veto power, it was interpreted as implicitly suggesting the exercise of the veto.

A senior official from the Presidential Office met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon and said regarding President Yoon's veto on the Yellow Envelope Act, "We will carefully consider and make a judgment," adding, "The procedures in the National Assembly are not yet complete. Once the procedures are finished, we will gather opinions from the relevant ministries, parties, and related organizations before making a decision."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the official criticized, "Some media approach this as 'another veto this time,' and also use expressions like 'another legislative rampage this time,' but the unilateral forced legislation within the National Assembly is the root of the problem." The Democratic Party and the Justice Party, the opposition parties, processed the direct referral of the Yellow Envelope Act to the plenary session solely by the opposition members at the Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly the day before. The bill, unanimously proposed by 10 opposition members, went straight to the plenary session after eight months and will be processed in the plenary session following a maximum 30-day negotiation period between the ruling and opposition parties.

The possibility of President Yoon exercising the veto is high. This is because the amendment itself has a high likelihood of being unconstitutional and is judged to have insufficient deliberation in the National Assembly, causing public conflict. The Presidential Office explained that since vetoes were exercised on the Grain Management Act and the Nursing Act for similar reasons, the final decision based on law and principles is unlikely to change.

The Presidential Office also repeatedly emphasizes the policy of state administration based on "law and principles." A senior official from the Presidential Office added, "We hope that a consensus will be reached during the remaining month in the National Assembly," but also stated, "We believe that the principles of the President and the government were accurately conveyed to the public through the two previous exercises of the veto."

They also explained that the answer lies in the principle conveyed by President Yoon at the Cabinet meeting two days ago. On the 23rd, President Yoon personally presided over the Cabinet meeting and expressed the view that establishing liberal democracy and the rule of law is a task that Global Korea must solve. He strongly criticized the illegal rallies by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, stating, "The behavior that infringes on the people's freedom and fundamental rights and undermines public order will be difficult for the people to tolerate."

The government shares the same judgment. The bill includes provisions allowing subcontractor unions to negotiate directly with the primary contractor and restricting the employer's claim for damages if there was no illegality or violence during the strike. However, it is said that this ultimately conflicts with other laws. A representative example is the potential nullification of compensation for illegality stipulated in the Civil Act. The government also plans to recommend President Yoon exercise the veto power based on this logic.

Within the Presidential Office, there are criticisms that the opposition's strategy for the general election is to induce repeated veto exercises to label the President as 'uncommunicative,' along with concerns about the burden on the President due to continuous vetoes. Starting with the veto exercise on the Grain Management Act amendment in early April, there is a risk that vetoes could be exercised every month.

However, the Presidential Office, government, and ruling party do not have many options. If no consensus is reached between the ruling and opposition parties during the remaining month, the only remaining method is legal action such as filing a constitutional complaint. The ruling party leadership has requested a constitutional review, arguing that the Yellow Envelope Act was still under review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and therefore does not meet the requirements for direct referral to the plenary session.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.