Photo : YONHAP News
Over the ruling party’s objections, the opposition-dominated National Assembly has passed three contentious bills, including two mandating special counsel probes, one to look into the death of a marine last year during a flood rescue mission and another to examine allegations against First Lady Kim Keon-hee.
The bill concerning the first lady passed parliament with all of 167 lawmakers in attendance voting in its favor, while the bill on the military report also passed with support from all of 170 attending lawmakers.
A third revision bill aimed at providing state finances to local governments to issue and sell regional gift certificates passed with 166 out of 169 attending lawmakers in favor, while three others voted against it.
The ruling People Power Party(PPP) chose to boycott Thursday’s plenary session, saying the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) had violated an earlier bipartisan deal to convene the plenary meeting next week.
Denouncing the opposition’s move, PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho accused the DP of being interested only in causing political strife after the Chuseok holiday, adding that President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to veto the bills, which will then eventually be scrapped.
Earlier on Thursday, Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik announced his decision to put the three disputed bills to Thursday’s plenary vote.