President Yoon Exercises Veto on 'Ssangteukgeom Act'... Renewed Political Conflict Between Ruling and Opposition Parties (Comprehensive)

Lee Gwansub Chief Secretary "Election Manipulation"
"Daejangdong Club Special Prosecutor Law is a Shield for Lee Jae-myung"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 5th, President Yoon Seok-yeol exercised his right to request reconsideration (veto power) against the so-called dual special prosecution bills: the Kim Gun-hee Deutsche Motors stock manipulation suspicion (Kim Gun-hee Special Prosecutor Act) and the Daejang-dong development project 5 billion club bribery suspicion (Daejang-dong 5 Billion Club Special Prosecutor Act). The reason for exercising the veto was that the Democratic Party of Korea passed special prosecutor bills that could undermine constitutional values in order to win the general election. With President Yoon immediately exercising his veto, the political conflict between the ruling and opposition parties, which had been in a lull due to the attack on Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, is expected to reignite.

President Yoon, at an extraordinary Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Government Seoul Office, approved the reconsideration request immediately after it was passed, according to the Presidential Office. Lee Kwan-seop, Chief of Staff to the President, stated at a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office, "In accordance with constitutional obligations, the President requested reconsideration of two election-related malicious bills to the National Assembly," and expressed "deep regret that the major opposition party, the Democratic Party, delayed urgent legislation for the people while unilaterally pushing through two special prosecutor bills unrelated to people's livelihoods without bipartisan agreement."

Lee, who unusually appeared directly at the briefing, strongly criticized, saying, "These special prosecutor bills were created for the purpose of manipulating public opinion for the general election and have many problems," adding, "The Cabinet meeting's deliberation results ignored the constitutional precedent of bipartisan agreement, and the double excessive investigation of those involved in ongoing trials violates human rights. During the election period, a pro-opposition special prosecutor could infringe on the people's right to choose through false briefings." Regarding the Daejang-dong 5 Billion Club Special Prosecutor Act, he pointed out, "Its purpose is to shield Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung," and criticized, "If only the opposition party recommends the special prosecutor excluding the ruling party's recommendation right, and a pro-opposition special prosecutor conducts the investigation, the truth will never be revealed."

Regarding the Kim Gun-hee Special Prosecutor Act, he said, "This case, which happened 12 years ago before marriage, was thoroughly investigated for two years under the Moon Jae-in administration without indictment or even summons. Double investigations infringe on the human rights of those on trial and have the same problems as the 5 Billion Club Special Prosecutor Act, such as politically biased special prosecutor appointments and public opinion manipulation through false briefings."

The position of President Yoon and the Presidential Office is that the Democratic Party forcibly passed the dual special prosecutor bills to win the general election through public opinion manipulation. Lee emphasized, "The President, as the guardian of the Constitution and the rule of law, has the duty to protect constitutional values such as human rights and to manage elections fairly," adding, "Therefore, there is an obligation to request reconsideration of special prosecutor bills that violate these principles."

Waste of budget and administrative resources was also cited as a problem of these special prosecutor bills. If the special prosecutor proceeds, hundreds of millions of won in budget will be spent, wasting taxpayers' money on matters unrelated to people's livelihoods. Additionally, if investigative personnel are seconded to the special prosecutor, the normal operation of law enforcement agencies will inevitably face problems.

President Yoon exercises veto after 8 days... Strongly signals refusal to accept special prosecutor bills

President Yoon exercised his veto eight days after the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, unilaterally passed the dual special prosecutor bills in the National Assembly plenary session, strongly signaling his unwillingness to accept the special prosecutor bills. Compared to other cases where President Yoon exercised veto power, such as the Grain Management Act amendment (on the 12th), the Nursing Act enactment (on the 19th), and the Yellow Envelope Act and Broadcasting 3 Acts (on the 22nd), this procedure was carried out swiftly. This is President Yoon's fourth time exercising veto power (seventh time by bill).

When asked by reporters about the "speed of President Yoon's veto exercise," a senior official from the Presidential Office explained, "It is better to promptly express a position when constitutional values are being damaged." Regarding whether there is a conflict of interest in vetoing the Kim Gun-hee Special Prosecutor Act, the official responded, "I do not agree," and rebutted, "It is a special prosecutor bill with several problems that violate constitutional values, so reconsideration was requested."

With President Yoon exercising his veto, the government will send the dual special prosecutor bills back to the National Assembly requesting reconsideration. As President Yoon immediately exercised his veto, the political conflict between the ruling and opposition parties, which had been in a lull due to the attack on Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, is expected to reignite.

The People Power Party responded that the veto exercise of the dual special prosecutor bills was a natural act. Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly, "It is natural for the President to exercise veto power against malicious laws with clear political intentions and many unconstitutional elements." He added, "The dual special prosecutor bills are politically motivated malicious laws in every aspect, including process, procedure, content, and political intent, and contain many unconstitutional toxic provisions. The President's veto power is a constitutional device for checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches, and if there is a problem with the legislative power exercised by the majority party in the National Assembly, the executive branch can correct it as the only constitutional means."

On the other hand, the Democratic Party warned regarding the veto exercise, "The people's judgment and resistance against the President and government will begin now." Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, criticized at the Supreme Council meeting, "No president in history has ever refused special prosecutor or prosecution investigations related to themselves or their families," and said, "(President Yoon Seok-yeol) will be recorded as the first president to abuse veto power to shield family corruption." He continued, "No power can win against the people," and warned, "If the President, government, and ruling party think everything is over with the veto exercise, it is a big mistake."

The first watershed regarding the handling of the dual special prosecutor bills is expected to be the plenary session on the 9th. The Democratic Party plans to go through a constitutional dispute trial and insists that the reconsideration vote should be postponed until after February.

Meanwhile, when asked about the possibility of restoring the Second Secretariat to assist the First Lady, a Presidential Office official said, "Not installing the Second Secretariat was President Yoon's campaign pledge," adding, "If the majority of the public thinks it is better to install it, we will consider it."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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