National Assembly passes second special counsel bill to investigate ex-presidential couple

A second special counsel bill — seen as an extension of the three major probes into alleged insurrection, former first lady Kim Keon Hee and the death of a Marine in 2023 — passed the National Assembly on Friday, led by the liberal Democratic Party.

Lawmakers are seen at the main hall of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, to vote on a second special counsel bill on Jan. 16. [YONHAP]

A second special counsel bill — seen as an extension of the three major probes into alleged insurrection, former first lady Kim Keon Hee and the death of a Marine in 2023 — passed the National Assembly on Friday, led by the liberal Democratic Party (DP).

The National Assembly approved the “Act on the Appointment of a Special Counsel to Investigate Insurrection, Espionage and Abuse of Power by Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Keon Hee,” (translated), proposed by the DP, with 172 votes in favor and 2 against out of the 174 lawmakers present. Lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) abstained from voting.

The DP and other aligned parties submitted the second comprehensive special counsel bill the previous day.

“We must fully resolve the matter of insurrection this time,” DP floor leader Han Byung-do said.

The bill authorizes a special counsel with up to 156 investigators to probe 14 additional allegations over a maximum of 170 days, in response to what opposition parties claim were insufficient results from the initial three special counsel investigations.

Democratic Party Rep. Jung Chung-rae, left, and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok are seen during a National Assembly plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 16. [YONHAP]

New issues to be investigated include the change in the route of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, Kim Keon Hee’s alleged use of a secret phone, the notebook of former chief of the Defense Intelligence Command Noh Sang-won and allegations that local governments were complicit in planning for the martial law declaration.

A filibuster that began immediately after the bill was submitted was ended in 24 hours by a motion from DP and allied lawmakers.

Meanwhile, Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the PPP, held a press conference earlier in the day on Friday.

“Even if the bill is passed by the National Assembly, we urge the president to exercise his right to request reconsideration [veto] and ask for renegotiations between the ruling and opposition parties,” Song said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY CHO MUN-GYU [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]