"Not in Accordance with Constitutional Spirit and Special Prosecutor System Purpose"
"Fails to Guarantee Investigation Fairness and Neutrality"
On the 21st, President Yoon Suk-yeol exercised his veto power on the 'Special Prosecutor Act on the Investigation of the Death of Marine Sergeant Chae Sang-byeong' (Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act). This marks the tenth time he has exercised veto power since taking office.
Jung Jin-seok, Chief of Staff to the President, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon and stated, "Today, the President, after the Cabinet meeting, requested the National Assembly to reconsider the bill for the special prosecutor on the death of the marine who died in the line of duty," adding, "This special prosecutor bill does not conform to the spirit of the Constitution."
Chief Jung criticized the special prosecutor bill, saying, "It should be seen as only possible when the ruling party, to which the President as head of the executive branch belongs, and the opposition party reach an agreement," and pointed out, "For this reason, over the past 25 years, the National Assembly has handled 13 special prosecutor bills without exception based on bipartisan agreement."
He continued, "This is a constitutional practice of the National Assembly to uphold the principle of separation of powers under our Constitution," emphasizing, "The current special prosecutor bill, which was unilaterally processed by the opposition party, destroys this precious constitutional practice that both parties have upheld for decades."
Chief Jung stated that the current special prosecutor bill does not align with the purpose of the special prosecutor system.
He explained, "The special prosecutor system is a supplementary and exceptional measure that can be introduced only when the investigation by investigative agencies is insufficient or when the fairness or objectivity of the investigation is in doubt," adding, "Regarding the death of Sergeant Chae Sang-byeong, investigations are currently ongoing by the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials."
He also pointed out that the special prosecutor bill fails to guarantee the fairness and neutrality, which are the fundamental purposes of the special prosecutor system.
Chief Jung said, "According to the special prosecutor bill, if the president of the Korean Bar Association recommends four candidates, the opposition party selects two of them, and the President must appoint one of the two as the special prosecutor," adding, "This means the opposition party would choose the prosecutor investigating the case they themselves reported."
Chief Jung added, "The government will do its utmost to uncover the substantive truth of the Chae Sang-byeong case and resolve public suspicions without any negligence," and "We hope that the tragic death of Chae Sang-byeong will no longer become a subject of political strife, and we request the National Assembly to reconsider the bill carefully."
Earlier that day, the government held a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in the morning and resolved to request reconsideration of the special prosecutor bill. Since President Yoon approved the request for reconsideration on the same day, the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act will return to the National Assembly for the reconsideration process.
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