South Korea: Special counsel bills unlikely to be reviewed at Cabinet meeting

Seoul (The Uttam Hindu): Special counsel bills against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid and allegations surrounding First Lady Kim Keon Hee are unlikely to be reviewed during a Cabinet meeting this week despite pressure for them to quickly be put into effect, an official said on Monday.

On Sunday, the main opposition Democratic Party urged acting President Han Duck-soo to promulgate the bills mandating special probes into Yoon's botched martial law declaration on December 3 and allegations against First Lady Kim Keon Hee at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, vowing to hold him responsible if he fails to do so.

"It is an issue that should be decided by listening to various opinions based on the Constitution, the law and the country's future within the given deadline," a key official at Han's office told Yonhap News Agency by phone. Han has until January 1 to decide whether to promulgate the bills or demand parliamentary reconsideration of them. "Realistically, it is difficult to be included as an agenda item for the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday," the official said.

The National Assembly passed the two opposition-led bills on December 12 in the aftermath of Yoon's short-lived imposition of martial law. Han has until January 1 to either veto or promulgate them, and the bills currently appear to be included as agenda items during a regular Cabinet meeting on December 31. The special counsel bill against Yoon is designed to investigate insurrection charges related to his declaration of martial law. The bill on the First Lady calls for investigating a wide range of allegations, including her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in election nominations through a power broker.

It is the fourth version of the bill targeting the first lady following a similar proposal vetoed by Yoon last month. The government has been critical of the bills against the first lady, noting they have "unconstitutional" elements. Regarding the special counsel bill on Yoon, the ruling People Power Party has called for Han to veto it, describing it as "clearly unconstitutional." A senior official at the Prime Minister's Office said the fate of the two bills will likely depend on whether the ruling and opposition parties negotiate a way to rid them of "unconstitutional" elements. Han will meet the leadership of the rival parties on Thursday for the first session of a consultative body between the two parties and the government.