Media: South Korea rejects special counsel bills targeting impeached president, first lady

On January 8, National Assembly of South Korea has rejected two special counsel bills aimed at investigating impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. 

The bills were dismissed in a revote after failing to secure the necessary two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto, Caliber.Az reports via Yonhap.

The first bill sought to appoint special prosecutors to probe allegations of insurrection tied to President Yoon’s controversial and short-lived martial law bid. The proposal was defeated in a 198-101 vote with one abstention.

"This bill was a direct affront to democratic governance and an unnecessary politicization of the Assembly," said Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP). "Our party remains committed to upholding fairness and opposing baseless accusations."

The second bill targeted First Lady Kim Keon Hee, proposing an investigation into her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and her purported interference in election nominations via a power broker. It was rejected by a vote of 196-103 with one abstention.

The Democratic Party (DP), which championed the bills, criticized the results. "The people deserve transparency and accountability from their leaders," said a DP spokesperson. "We will not abandon this fight and will reintroduce these bills at the earliest opportunity."

This is the fourth time a similar bill targeting the First Lady has been vetoed and subsequently scrapped.

Other rejected proposals included amendments to the National Assembly Act and the National Assembly Testimony Appraisal Act. The former aimed to prevent automatic submission of the government budget after legal deadlines, while the latter sought to ensure companies comply with lawmakers' data requests.

Despite the series of defeats, opposition parties vowed to continue pushing for legislative reforms.

By Aghakazim Guliyev