Pres. Yoon vetoes investigation into death of marine

President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed a special prosecution investigation on Tuesday into the death of a marine who passed away last year from heavy rain, which passed the plenary session led by the Democratic Party. This was 14 days after the Special Prosecutor Act was transferred to the executive branch and Yoon’s tenth veto since taking office. The opposition party, who claimed to continue to push the investigation, said that the last plenary session of the 21st National Assembly will be held on May 28 to push for the re-approval of the Special Prosecution Act.

“The Special Prosecutor's Office Act does not reflect the values of the Constitution and undermines the constitutional practice of separation of powers that the ruling and opposition parties have maintained for decades,” said Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok announced at the Yongsan Presidential Office.

“Under the principle of separation of powers, investigation and prosecution are powers and functions belonging to the executive branch. The special prosecutor system, which is an exception, can be only enforced when the ruling party, to which the leader of the execution branch belongs, and the opposition party agree,” said Jeong. "Investigations are currently being carried out jointly by the police and the Corruption Investigation Office, but (the Democratic Party) is insisting on the introduction of a special prosecutor, claiming that they do not trust the current investigation is self-contradictory and self-denying the existence of the Corruption Investigation Office which they created. A real-time press briefing was conducted under the pretext of reporting the case to the public. It will have the reverse effect of publicly disclosing suspect facts, which is prohibited by law."

The President's Office continues to claim that President Yoon did not exert any external pressure on the investigation. “This will be confirmed through the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office,” said a high-ranking official with the ruling party. “The president claimed that he would propose a special prosecution himself if there are any shortcomings in the investigation.”

The People Power Party's floor leadership is making every effort to block stray votes ahead of the re-vote in the plenary session of the National Assembly next Tuesday. While three lawmakers, including Ahn Cheol-soo, Yoo Eui-dong, and Kim Woong, have publicly announced that they will vote in favor, the bill could be passed if 17 votes from the pan-ruling party are lost. It is reported that the in-house leadership is contacting lawmakers individually to encourage them to vote.


Joo-Young Jeon aimhigh@donga.com