South Korea’s acting leader yesterday said he would veto a spate of contentious bills sponsored by the main opposition party, deepening political strife in the wake of parliament’s impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The ruling and opposition parties have been bickering over how much authority South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has assumed since the National Assembly on Saturday last week voted to suspend Yoon’s presidential powers over his short-lived Dec. 3 martial law. The South Korean Constitutional Court is to determine whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him.
Law enforcement authorities are also separately investigating whether Yoon’s martial law enforcement amounted to rebellion. Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several other military commanders have already been arrested. The Democratic Party earlier also considered impeaching Han for failing to stop Yoon’s martial law declaration, but shelved the idea after he became acting leader.
Photo: AFP / South Korean Prime Ministry
Four of the six bills to be vetoed by Han were meant to introduce greater state financial assistance programs for the country’s agriculture and fisheries industries.
The most contentious bill is the Grain Management Act, which would require the government to buy surplus rice if the price drops too sharply to protect the country’s farming industry and promote its food sovereignty.
Han said the bill would cause “immense” financial burdens on the government and eventually lead to further drops in rice prices.
Another controversial bill is the National Assembly Testimony Appraisal Act, which would give lawmakers more power to request people to attend parliament hearings and submit documents. Under the proposed legislation, individuals could no longer decline such requests by citing the protection of trade secrets or personal information.
The Democratic Party said the bill is necessary to determine the full details of Yoon’s martial law decree, but Han said the bill would likely infringe upon people’s privacy and that there are concerns among business leaders that key technology and company secrets could be leaked.
“I’m heavy-hearted, because I’ve asked the National Assembly to discuss and act on the six bills again at a time when we desperately need cooperation among the government and the ruling and opposition parties,” Han said at the start of a Cabinet Council meeting on Thursday. “But the government should make a responsible decision that prioritizes the principles of the constitution and the future of our country.”
Democratic Party lawmaker and spokesperson Noh Jong-myun warned Han “not to cross a line,” adding: “We’ll immediately drag him down if he’s found to have collaborated with the rebellion.”
Observers earlier speculated the Democratic Party would reconsider impeaching Han if he vetoed the bills.
Another source of contention between the rival parties is whether Han has the right to appoint three vacant justices’ seats at the Constitutional Court, as filling the vacancies could affect the court’s decision on Yoon.
In other news, lawyer and spokesperson for Yoon’s legal team Seok Dong-hyeon said that the president’s power grab did not amount to a rebellion.
Yoon did not intend to paralyze the parliament, Seok said, denying claims the president ordered the military to arrest his political opponents, including Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung.
“What kind of a rebellion is announced through a press conference broadcast to citizens, media and the whole world, as if he was saying: ‘I’m now about to commit a rebellion?’” Seok said. “When the National Assembly followed the constitutional procedure to lift martial law after two or three hours, we abided by that procedure.”
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