A parliamentary committee is set to review Monday whether to appoint a permanent special counsel to investigate treason charges against President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law declaration.
The main opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority at the National Assembly, seeks to put the bill up for a vote during a plenary session Tuesday after it passes the legislation and judiciary committee.
Since last week's abrupt and brief martial law imposition by Yoon, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), police and the prosecution have each launched their own probe into the case, but the DP has cast doubts over whether the three agencies will fully conduct the investigations.
Unlike a regular special counsel probe, the president cannot exercise the right to veto a bill over a permanent special counsel.
In addition to the permanent special counsel, the DP plans to propose a regular special counsel probe bill to investigate Yoon over his martial law declaration.
At Monday's committee meeting, the DP will also introduce another special counsel bill against first lady Kim Keon Hee's alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in election nominations through a power broker. A similar bill failed to pass a plenary session of the National Assembly last week, with the ruling People Power Party deciding to reject the bill as its party line. (Yonhap)
