Photo : YONHAP News
Anchor: In the face of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s repeated refusals to allow a special counsel investigation to scrutinize first lady Kim Keon-hee, the main opposition party has come up with a new strategy to circumvent a presidential veto and proceed over the ruling party’s objections. The Democratic Party announced a plan Tuesday that would exclude the ruling party from the process of nominating a special prosecutor in all cases concerning the president’s family.
Kim Bum-soo has more.
Report: To appoint a special prosecutor of its choice to look at fresh allegations against first lady Kim Keon-hee, the main opposition is seeking to revise parliamentary procedures and leave the ruling party out in the cold.
Instead of introducing a new bill, the usual first step before launching a special counsel probe, on Tuesday the Democratic Party opted to invoke an existing law, the 2014 Act on the Appointment of Independent Prosecutor, which authorizes the National Assembly to launch a briefer investigation.
The main opposition party also plans to revise the 2014 legislation and strip the ruling party of its right to recommend two of the seven members of the special counsel nomination committee, on the grounds that the probe will target the president’s family and he is affiliated with the ruling party.
The president cannot veto a law that is already in effect, and revising the 2014 act only requires a simple majority in the opposition-dominated National Assembly.
The Democratic Party wants the special counsel probe to focus on allegations that the first lady may have played a part in a stock price manipulation scandal or a case of undue interference in a drug-smuggling probe.
The party still plans to get to the bottom of other matters concerning the first lady, including the luxury bag scandal.
At a ruling People Power Party meeting, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho accused the opposition party of attempting to usurp the prosecution’s power to investigate cases and indict individuals, as well as to monopolize special counsel probes.
The ruling party says the opposition is “playing tricks” and laying the groundwork to impeach President Yoon.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.