SEOUL, January 31 (AJP) - Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Friday vetoed a bill proposing independent prosecutors to investigate allegations related to President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle last month.
The bill, revised and proposed again by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) after the previous one was scrapped on Dec. 31 when Choi exercised his veto, was passed by the opposition bloc earlier this month.
DP lawmakers and others from minor opposition parties have been pushing for a special probe into Yoon's abrupt declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 last year, which eventually led to his arrest on charges of insurrection and abuse of power last week, becoming the first incumbent president to do so in the country's modern history. Yoon is also undergoing an impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court of Korea.
At the cabinet meeting later in the day, Choi admitted that some parts of the bill, which could be interpreted as "unconstitutional," had been amended, but he still expressed regret that the bill was passed solely with the support of the opposition bloc in the National Assembly, amid strong opposition from the ruling People Power Party (PPP).
He further argued that the probe is no longer feasible, given that key suspects in last month's short-lived debacle including Yoon have already been detained and indicted.
But Choi emphasized instead that the ongoing trials should fairly and thoroughly uncover the truth, instead of conducting a fresh probe.
With the latest veto, the number of bills Choi has exercised his veto power over as acting president has now increased to seven.
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