Opposition: "The People Will Reject President Yoon"

People Power Party "Excessive Special Prosecutors Do Not Help Cooperation"

The opposition criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol's veto of the 'Special Prosecutor Act on the Investigation of Corporal Chae's Death Incident' (Chae Corporal Special Prosecutor Act) as a decision against public opinion. Meanwhile, the ruling party, the People Power Party, criticized the opposition's proposal of the special prosecutor act as undermining bipartisan cooperation.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is entering the credential presentation ceremony for new ambassadors to Korea held at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the 21st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Yoon Jong-gun, the floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a briefing at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 21st, "President Yoon ultimately exercised his veto on the Chae Corporal Special Prosecutor Act. He has resolutely rejected the will of the general election and decided to continue on the path of autocracy and non-communication," adding, "Now the people will reject President Yoon." He also stated, "By rejecting the special prosecutor, he has admitted to being the culprit himself," and "We will attempt to reapprove it in the 21st National Assembly, and if it fails, the 22nd National Assembly will immediately reintroduce all the bills President Yoon vetoed, including the Chae Corporal Special Prosecutor Act."

The Reform New Party also criticized President Yoon's exercise of the veto. Kim Seong-yeol, the chief spokesperson for the Reform New Party, said in a statement that "The death of Corporal Chae is currently adrift amid suspicion and political strife. Who made it like this? We have the right to know why the results of the investigation process, which should be fair and strict, changed, whether there was external pressure that even the minister could not refuse during the process, and if so, who and why it was done." He added, "President Yoon's tenth veto will return as a great sword of public sentiment."

The National Innovation Party plans to pressure not only the Chae Corporal Special Prosecutor Act but also other suspicions including those involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee. Cho Guk, the leader of the National Innovation Party, said at a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the same day, "We urgently propose three national investigations and three special prosecutors," adding, "The proposed special prosecutors and national investigations are issues on which consensus has been formed in the opposition and are strongly demanded by civil society." The three national investigations proposed by the National Innovation Party include the Line Yahoo incident, failures in managing and hosting international events, and media control. The three special prosecutors relate to the Chae Corporal Special Prosecutor Act, the comprehensive special prosecutor act for First Lady Kim, and the special prosecutor act for Han Dong-hoon, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party.

The People Power Party defended President Yoon's exercise of the veto and pointed out that the opposition's push is merely forceful. Kim Min-jeon, the chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement, "The president's request for reconsideration (veto) of the special prosecutor act, which was pushed through unilaterally without bipartisan agreement, is an inevitable choice for a fair and strict investigation," adding, "The investigation by investigative agencies to uncover the truth should come first." He also added, "Overusing special prosecutors for every political issue based on political calculations shakes the existing judicial system," and "This does not help political stability or bipartisan cooperation at all."