Nat’l Assembly to Vote on Special Counsel Probe into Allegations Against President Yoon

SEOUL: The National Assembly of South Korea is set to convene a plenary session on Thursday to deliberate and vote on a special counsel bill aimed at investigating President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent declaration of martial law and other alleged transgressions. The session will also address accusations against first lady Kim Keon Hee related to stock manipulation and election interference.According to Yonhap News Agency, this marks the fourth iteration of the bill targeting the first lady, following a veto by President Yoon last month. The previous version was narrowly defeated in a revote, falling just two votes short of the required 200 out of 300 members needed to override the presidential veto.In addition to the special counsel bill, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) plans to introduce a new impeachment motion against President Yoon. The motion is expected to be reported during Thursday's plenary session, with a vote anticipated during a subsequent session on Saturday. By law, such motions must be voted on within a 24 to 72-hour window after being reported.The DP also intends to advance impeachment motions against Justice Minister Park Sung-jae and Cho Ji-ho, head of the Korean National Police Agency, during the session.The Assembly has already passed an opposition-led bill calling for a "permanent" special counsel to investigate President Yoon's imposition of martial law. Unlike regular special counsel proceedings, this permanent measure cannot be vetoed by the president, although he retains the ability to delay the appointment of the counsel.