Photo : YONHAP News
The presidential office says it is the president’s duty to exercise his right to veto bills that are unconstitutional.
An official at the top office conveyed the remarks to reporters when discussing three controversial bills that the opposition-strong parliament passed Thursday.
One calls for a special counsel investigation concerning allegations against first lady Kim Keon-hee, while another calls for a special counsel investigation into the death of a marine during flood relief work last year, and the third deals with local currency vouchers.
The official said the opposition pushed the bills through without the necessary social consensus and that the top office will not compromise on them.
Discussing the voucher bill, the official said it violates the government’s right to draw up budgets and could disrupt consumer prices and interest rates.
The bill concerning the first lady, the official said, would make it impossible to guarantee a fair, politically neutral investigation, since it gives the opposition camp too much control.
Given that the two special counsel bills allow for real-time briefings, the official added, they give rise to privacy concerns.