Yoon expresses opposition to DP’s special prosecutor bills

President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his rejection of the "Kim Gun Hee Special Prosecution" during a press conference marking his 2nd anniversary in office on Thursday, adding, "It is a political attack that doesn't align with the essence or purpose of a special prosecution." He also firmly opposed the "Marine Private Chae Special Prosecution," which was passed through the National Assembly led by the Democratic Party, saying, "If there are suspicions after the investigation is over, I will first propose a special prosecution." As the exercise of veto power over Private Chae’s special prosecutor bill becomes more likely, the number of bills vetoed since the current administration took office is expected to increase to 10. Extreme friction between the ruling and the opposition parties is anticipated upon marking the opening of the 22nd session of the National Assembly; the Democratic Party has announced to propose of a special prosecution bill against "Kim Gun Hee’s Deutsche Motors Stock Manipulation Suspicions," which President Yoon exercised veto power over earlier this year.

President Yoon, speaking at the "Yoon Suk Yeol Administration’s Two Year National Report and Press Conference" held at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day, apologized for the controversy over his wife's Dior bag scandal, saying, "I apologize for causing concern to the public due to my wife's unwise behavior." He also emphasized regarding the "Kim Gun Hee Special Prosecutor bill," "Even when there was divided public opinion on special prosecution cases, the argument I always made was that it is only appropriate to pursue a special prosecution when there are suspicions of leniency or inadequacy in the prosecution or police investigations."

He also commented on Private Chae’s case, saying, "Once all procedures are completed, the investigative authorities will explain the progress and results to the public in detail," and added, "Observing the ongoing judicial process and trusting the mindset and attitude of the investigators would be the right thing to do." President Yoon revealed his negative perception of special prosecution: "Until recently, most of the media coverage has been political articles about special prosecutor laws after the general elections."

Following the president's press conference, Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, held an emergency press conference and criticized, "As expected, it was as I feared," and strongly condemned the government's neglect of people's livelihoods and once again abandoning the lives of the people." He also announced, "When the 22nd National Assembly begins, we will reintroduce a special prosecutor bill for various suspicions related to Kim Gun Hee, such as the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations," and added, "We are carefully considering whether to include suspicions related to the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway and her luxury bag."


Kwan-Seok Jang jks@donga.com