Lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea are pushing for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate multiple scandals allegedly involving First Lady Kim Keon Hee through a resolution that will bypass the need for new legislation and does not mandate the president to take action to approve or veto it.
According to the office of Rep. Jang Kyung-tae of the Democratic Party on Monday, the latest motion calls for the opposition-led National Assembly to name a special prosecutor in accordance with the Act on the Appointment of Independent Prosecutor.
The scope of the special prosecutor's investigation "will not greatly differ" from that of the previous bill, which acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok vetoed on Dec. 31, according to the office of the two-term lawmaker.
The previous bill, which failed to override a veto in three previous attempts, sought a special investigation into a range of corruption allegations against Kim, as well as her alleged involvement in stock manipulation, violation of the antigraft law, unlawful election interference and leakage of confidential information.
Last year, the prosecution dropped charges against Kim, including stock manipulation from 2009 to 2012 and breaking the antigraft law by accepting a luxury Dior bag and other gifts from a Korean American pastor in exchange for favors in 2022.
The motion claimed that prosecutors were politically motivated and were reluctant to put Kim on criminal trial.
"Although Kim's accomplices in the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case were indicted and their criminal trials are underway, the prosecution has been lenient on Kim because she is the spouse of the president," read the motion. Shares of BMW dealer Deutsch Motors were the target of the stock price manipulation scheme.
Unlike in the four previous bills aimed at appointing a special counsel for Kim, the Democratic Party plans to pass a motion in the plenary session for a National Assembly resolution, which does not require the introduction of a bill and therefore is not subject to a presidential veto.
The four previous bills passed the National Assembly in December 2023, and in September, November and December last year. However, lawmakers were unable to override the presidential veto for any of them, which requires at least 200 votes in the National Assembly where opposition parties currently hold 190 out of the 300 seats. In contrast, passing the current motion to appoint a special prosecutor requires only 151 votes, making it a more feasible option for the opposition.
The law stipulates that the president must appoint a special prosecutor from candidates recommended by a committee established within the National Assembly. A resolution itself, however, would lack the legal authority to compel the president to make such an appointment.
Acting President Choi has yet to name a special prosecutor to look into the allegations that Yoon led an insurrection, even though the National Assembly passed a resolution calling on him to do so on Dec. 11.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
