Deadline on January 1st Next Year
Opposition Threatens Impeachment If Veto Is Used
On the morning of the 9th, Kim Seung-won, the opposition secretary of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee of the Democratic Party, and Kim Yong-min, the senior deputy floor leader, submitted the “Insurrection Special Prosecutor Act” and “Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act” to the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul.
The “Insurrection Special Prosecutor Act” and “Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act,” which passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 9th, were sent to the government on the 17th.
On this afternoon, the Ministry of Legislation received the Insurrection Special Prosecutor Act (a bill to appoint a special prosecutor for investigating insurrection acts through unconstitutional martial law proclamation by Yoon Seok-yeol’s government) and the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act (a bill to appoint a special prosecutor for investigating stock manipulation incidents involving Yoon Seok-yeol’s spouse, Kim Geon-hee).
Once a bill passes the National Assembly and is delivered to the government, it must be promulgated or a request for reconsideration (veto) must be exercised within 15 days. The processing deadline is January 1st next year.
Attention is focused on whether Han Duck-soo, the acting President and Prime Minister, will exercise the right to request reconsideration for the two special prosecutor bills. The Insurrection Special Prosecutor Act identifies both acting President Han and cabinet members present at the martial law review cabinet meeting as criminal suspects. This law mandates the special prosecutor to investigate all suspicions related to the December 3 Martial Law Incident.
The Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act designates 15 suspicions as investigation targets, including stock manipulation involving Deutsche Motors, acceptance of luxury bags, involvement in the 8th local elections and the 22nd general elections, election fraud in the 20th presidential election, and issues related to Myongtaegyun.
The Democratic Party is openly pressuring acting President Han. Park Sung-joon, the senior deputy floor leader, said on MBC radio the day before, “The power chosen by the people is the legislative power,” questioning whether a mere acting President, not chosen by the people, can exercise veto over legislative power exercised by the assembly. This is interpreted as suggesting the possibility of pursuing impeachment if acting President Han exercises the veto.