The government on Tuesday approved three revised bills extending special counsel investigations into corruption allegations surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife.
The bills were passed by the National Assembly earlier this month and approved during a Cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. They will be sent to President Lee Jae Myung to be signed and promulgated.
The revisions call for allowing the extension of three special counsel investigations by up to 30 days, and increasing the number of assistant special counsels and other personnel on the investigation teams.
The three teams have been tasked, respectively, with investigating Yoon's failed imposition of martial law, various corruption allegations involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee, and the alleged cover-up of details related to a Marine's death in 2023.
Under the original bills, the special counsels can use their discretion to extend their investigations by 30 days and then obtain another 30-day extension with the president's approval.
The revised bills allow two 30-day extensions at their discretion.
In terms of personnel, the martial law team will get 10 additional prosecutors and 40 additional public servants, while the former first lady team will get two more assistant special counsels, 30 more prosecutors and 60 more public servants.
The Marine probe team, meanwhile, will get 10 additional prosecutors, 20 additional public servants and 10 more special investigators.
The revisions also mandate televised broadcasts of trials resulting from the probes, if they are requested and there are no special reasons to deny them.
The bills were passed after the ruling Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the Assembly, walked back on an agreement with the main opposition People Power Party to not extend the investigations and minimize the increases in personnel. (Yonhap)
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