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| ▲ Rep. Lee Jae-myung (L), chief of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), and DP floor leader Park Chan-dae (2nd from L) attend a party meeting held at the National Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 11, 2024. (Yonhap) |
DP-special counsel bill
DP to submit revised special counsel bill targeting first lady
SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Monday it will submit a revised special counsel bill focused on allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, which narrows the scope of the probe and allows a third party to recommend a special prosecutor.
DP spokesperson Han Min-soo said the party will submit the revised proposal focused on Kim's alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and allegations of interference in election nominations during a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday.
"We will include a provision for the recommendation of the special prosecutor by a third party and submit the revision," Han told reporters.
The bill currently pending in the Legislative and Judiciary Committee allows only the DP and nonpartisan opposition groups to each recommend one special prosecutor candidate.
PPP leader Han Dong-hoon had previously proposed the special prosecutor be recommended by a third party, such as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
This will be the third version of the bill targeting the first lady following a similar proposal vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month, which was ultimately scrapped in a revote.
The decision to revise the bill is seen as an effort to secure support from the ruling People Power Party in case of another veto by Yoon, aiming to ensure the bill's passage through a revote.
During a press conference last week, Yoon said the DP-proposed special counsel bill is "unconstitutional" and "political propaganda," signaling that he will exercise his veto power once again.
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