A bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military’s response to a Marine’s death last year will be put up for a revote next week to override the recent presidential veto, the outgoing National Assembly speaker said Wednesday.
Kim Jin-pyo made the remarks during a press conference, saying a plenary session will be held next Tuesday, a day before his term is set to end, to vote on the bill even if the rival parties fail to come to an agreement by then.
The bill, which was passed by the opposition-controlled parliament early this month, calls for the appointment of a special counsel to look into allegations President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office and the defense ministry inappropriately interfered in the military’s probe into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was killed during a search mission for victims of heavy downpours in July 2023.
Yoon exercised his veto power on Tuesday, the 10th time in his two years in office.
For a bill to pass the National Assembly in a revote, it requires a majority
of the 300-member parliament to be present and two-thirds of them to cast their ballots in favor.
The main opposition Democratic Party holds 155 seats, and together with splinter parties and independent lawmakers, the number could rise to about 180.
Unless there is support from some ruling party lawmakers, the bill could be discarded during the current session of the National Assembly, whose term expires later this month.
Source: Yonhap News Agency