Government Reconfirms Its Veto of Amendment of Amnesty Law

Acting president Goh Kun reconfirmed that he would veto the amendment of the amnesty law at a Cabinet meeting on March 23 in a meeting on March 22 to review a bill which requires the president to seek the National Assembly’s opinion before issuing an amnesty.

At the meeting attended by Justice Minister Kang Kum-sil, director Han Deok-soo of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and Government Legislation Minister Sung Kwang-won, they confirmed that amnesty power, which is inherent to the president’s authority, is not interfered with from the legislatures from other countries including France.

The government will express its willingness to respect the opinion of the legislature by pointing out the exploitation of amnesty power in the past when it vetoes the bill.

“If there isn’t any clear loophole, the bill should be signed into law,” Chung Jeon-hyong, assistant spokesperson at the Millennium Democratic Party, said. “If the government vetoes it, we will take action under the National Assembly law.” However, it is unlikely to table the bill again as the term of the 16th National Assembly has effectively ended.

Jung-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com