Nat’l Assembly rejects special probe bills targeting Yoon, first lady in revote

The National Assembly rejected two special counsel bills targeting impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid and allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee in a revote on Wednesday.

The special counsel bill targeting Yoon calls for the designation of special prosecutors to look into insurrection charges related to Yoon’s short-lived martial law imposition.

The bill was rejected in a 198-101 vote with one abstention and was ultimately scrapped as it failed to gain the two-thirds support required to override the president’s veto.

The opposition parties unilaterally passed the bill at a plenary session last month before the Cabinet demanded the National Assembly reconsider its decision in a meeting chaired by acting President Choi Sang-mok.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly also rejected another bill that calls for a special counsel probe into two key allegations involving the first lady over her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in election nominations through a power broker.

The bill was voted down in a 196-103 vote with one abstention.

It is the fourth version of the bill targeting Kim following a similar proposal vetoed by Yoon, which was ultimately scrapped in a revote.

People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong earlier reaffirmed his party’s official decision to vote against the special counsel bills, while the main opposition Democratic Party vowed to reintroduce the bills to the Assembly if they are rejected.

Parliament also voted down six more bills, including a controversial grain bill that was vetoed by then acting President Han Duck-soo, during the session.

The Grain Management Act mandates the government purchase of surplus rice to stabilize prices during market fluctuations. A similar bill was vetoed by Yoon in March 2023 and subsequently scrapped in a revote.

Other bills include the National Assembly Act, aimed at preventing the automatic submission of the government budget to the plenary session after the legal deadline, and the National Assembly Testimony Appraisal Act, which would require companies to submit requested data to lawmakers.