Yoon Likely to Veto 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act'... Yong Hye-in Says "Opposite to Public Sentiment"

Opposition 7 Parties Pressure in Front of Yongsan, Demanding "Accept"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to exercise his veto power on the ‘Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act’ (the Act on the Appointment of a Special Prosecutor for the Investigation of Obstruction and Concealment of the Death of a Marine in the Line of Duty) at the Cabinet meeting on the 21st, while opposition parties have collectively pressured President Yoon to accept the special prosecutor law.

The seven opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea, the Justice Party, the Party for Innovation and Justice, the Reform New Party, New Future, the Progressive Party, and the Basic Income Party held a joint press conference on the 20th in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, urging President Yoon Seok-yeol to accept the special prosecutor law for Chae Sang-byeong. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Yong Hye-in, floor leader of the Basic Income Party, appeared on YTN Radio’s ‘News Fighting with Bae Seung-hee’ on the same day and said, “Despite the voices of more than half of the public calling for a special prosecutor, many citizens seem to feel devastated by President Yoon Suk-yeol’s continued attitude of ‘only I am right.’”

Floor leader Yong said, “According to a public opinion poll conducted by Korea Gallup from the 7th to the 9th of this month targeting 1,000 men and women aged 18 and over, more than 57% of the public believe that a special prosecutor should be introduced even if the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) investigation is ongoing,” adding, “As soon as the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act was passed, the president indicated his intention to veto it, which is exactly opposite to public sentiment.”

He added, “Not only the opposition but also voices within the ruling party are not insignificant in calling for the acceptance of the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act. Considering the appeals from Marine Corps veterans, mothers of surviving marines, and surviving marines themselves, if so many citizens and stakeholders are speaking out on a human level, I thought the president would at least reconsider exercising the veto or express a willingness to contemplate the special prosecutor law.”

He continued, “Since it seems that the president has not yet relented on his insistence on the veto, I think the public is saying, ‘This is really going too far.’”

The day before, seven opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea, the Justice Party, the Party for National Innovation, the Reform New Party, the New Future Party, the Progressive Party, and the Basic Income Party held a joint press conference in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul, urging President Yoon to accept the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act. They stated that if President Yoon exercises his veto, they will convene a plenary session at the end of this month to proceed with the re-deliberation process, emphasizing that “the exercise of the veto will hasten the downfall of the administration.”

Meanwhile, the People Power Party maintained its opposition to the special prosecutor, saying, “Do not use a tragic death for political strife.”