DP to Submit Revised Special Counsel Bill Targeting First Lady.

Seoul: The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) announced on Monday its intentions to submit a revised special counsel bill aimed at investigating allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. This revision intends to narrow the scope of the probe and introduces a provision for a third party to recommend a special prosecutor.According to Yonhap News Agency, DP spokesperson Han Min-soo stated that the revised proposal, which will focus on Kim's alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and claims of interference in election nominations, will be submitted during a plenary session of the National Assembly on Thursday. Han emphasized the inclusion of a provision for the recommendation of the special prosecutor by a third party.The current bill, awaiting review in the Legislative and Judiciary Committee, permits only the DP and nonpartisan opposition groups to each recommend one special prosecutor candidate. Previously, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon suggested that a third party, such as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, should recommend the special prosecutor.This latest revision marks the third iteration of the bill targeting the first lady. It follows a similar proposal that was vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month and subsequently scrapped in a revote. The DP's decision to revise the bill is perceived as an effort to garner support from the ruling People Power Party in anticipation of another potential veto by Yoon, aiming to ensure the bill's passage through a revote.During a press conference last week, Yoon criticized the DP's proposed special counsel bill as "unconstitutional" and "political propaganda," indicating his intention to exercise his veto power again. On Monday, PPP floor leader Cho Kyung-ho expressed that his party will advise Yoon to veto the bill if the DP pushes it through at the upcoming session.The PPP, which holds just over one-third of the 300 seats in the Assembly, has been working to consolidate internal support to defeat the bill in a revote, which requires at l east two-thirds approval.