South Korea's National Assembly Approves Modified Special Counsel Bill to Investigate Yoon's Martial Law Attempt
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Synopsis
On January 18, the South Korean National Assembly passed a modified bill to investigate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law attempt. This legislation, proposed by the Democratic Party, faced opposition from the ruling People Power Party, which argued it was too broad.
Key Takeaways
- South Korean National Assembly passed a special counsel bill.
- The bill targets impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
- Democratic Party proposed the revised legislation.
- Ruling People Power Party opposed the bill.
- Negotiations between parties failed to yield a compromise.
Seoul, Jan 18 (NationPress) The National Assembly of South Korea has successfully approved a modified bill put forth by the primary opposition Democratic Party (DP) to initiate a special counsel investigation into the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol regarding his unsuccessful attempt at martial law.
The revised legislation was sanctioned with a vote tally of 188-86 during a plenary session in parliament on Friday, with members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) opposing it collectively. The opposition coalition currently holds a majority in the 300-member assembly with 192 seats, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
The bill put forth by the opposition omits accusations against Yoon for allegedly committing “treason” by attempting to incite conflict with North Korea, which was included in the initial proposal by the DP along with five other parties.
The PPP contended that the bill's provisions were overly broad and opted to propose its own version, excluding such allegations.
This development follows unsuccessful negotiations between DP floor leader Park Chan-dae and his PPP counterpart, Kweon Seong-dong, mediated by National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
Park stated that the DP has chosen to independently introduce the modified bill, emphasizing that the party has made “significant compromises” concerning the investigation's scope.
After the bill's approval, PPP floor leader Kweon urged acting President Choi Sang-mok to prompt the parliament to reassess the legislation immediately.
Previously, discussions took place between the ruling PPP and the main opposition DP on Friday regarding their respective bills aimed at launching a special counsel investigation into the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law attempt. However, there was minimal advancement towards a consensus.
Both floor leaders, Kweon Seong-dong of the PPP and Park Chan-dae of the DP, participated in the meeting overseen by National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
Attention was focused on whether the two opposing factions could reconcile their differences and agree on a single bill before the conclusion of the parliamentary plenary session.
“Currently, negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties have stalled,” Park informed reporters at 8:30 p.m., indicating that both parties had no plans to reconvene on Friday.
Park mentioned that the party intends to vote on the bill despite the lack of progress in discussions, suggesting that the DP would proceed with a unilateral vote on the opposition's proposed bill.
