Hong Cheol-ho "President Yoon Likely to Find It Difficult to Accept Special Prosecutor Law for Chae Sang-byeong"

"Accepting It Sets a Bad Precedent"
10th Veto... "Content Matters More Than Frequency"

Hong Cheol-ho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs to the President Photo by Yonhap News

The Presidential Office has once again expressed its intention to exercise a veto against the 'Special Prosecutor Appointment Act for the Investigation of Obstruction and Concealment of the Truth Regarding the Death of a Marine in the Line of Duty' (the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act), which passed the National Assembly plenary session through a sole vote by the Democratic Party of Korea.

Hong Cheol-ho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the morning of the 3rd and, when asked about the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act, said, "The basic position is that it significantly violates judicial procedures; in a way, it is legislative tyranny," adding, "The President will probably find it difficult to accept this naturally."

Earlier, Jeong Jin-seok, Chief of Staff to the President, hinted at exercising a veto during a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office immediately after the bill passed the National Assembly plenary session the previous afternoon, calling it "bad politics that politically exploit the tragic death of Chae Sang-byeong." Hong's remarks on the day are interpreted as reflecting a similar stance.

Hong explained, "The Itaewon Special Act has already undergone police and prosecution investigations, a national audit, and prosecution, and although the investigation was deemed insufficient, the ruling and opposition parties agreed on it. However, the Chae Sang-byeong case is different," adding, "Since the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) are currently investigating the case, the Presidential Office believes it is lawful to wait until the procedures are completed."

He added, "Ultimately, if the President accepts this, it would set a bad precedent and could even be considered neglect of duty."

When asked if it might be burdensome for President Yoon Suk-yeol to exercise a veto on the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act, which would be the tenth such veto, Hong said, "Since the 21st National Assembly is a minority government, it is clear that the Democratic Party pushed through issues that could be politicized, forcing the exercise of vetoes. The content is more important than the number of cases."

Regarding the anticipated establishment of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Office next week, Hong said, "The direction is correct," and that they are reviewing several name options such as 'Civil Affairs,' 'People's Livelihood,' and 'Civil Affairs Communication.'

He also said that President Yoon's second anniversary press conference is "being prepared so as not to exceed the inauguration date (May 10)." Regarding the controversy over whether Rep. Lee Cheol-gyu, considered a core 'pro-Yoon' figure, will run in the People Power Party floor leader election, he said, "(The President) clearly said not to do anything that would raise suspicion," adding, "This is my responsibility, and I will definitely not intervene."