Presidential Office Condemns "Constitutional Violation" Following National Assembly's Passage of Special Prosecutor Law for Chae Sang-byeong

On the afternoon of the 4th, at the plenary session held at the National Assembly in Seoul, the bill concerning the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the obstruction of investigation and concealment of incidents related to the death of a Marine in the line of duty was passed.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Presidential Office criticized the passage of the "Special Prosecutor Appointment Act for the Investigation of Obstruction and Concealment of the Death of a Marine (Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong)" led by the Democratic Party of Korea in the National Assembly plenary session on the 4th as a "violation of the Constitution."

A senior official from the Presidential Office said on the day, "If the reconsideration vote had been rejected due to unconstitutionality, it would have been common sense and natural to amend it to comply with the Constitution, but instead, it has returned as an anti-constitutional special prosecutor law that adds unconstitutionality to unconstitutionality," and added, "We lament this shameful violation of the Constitution in the history of constitutional governance."

Earlier, the National Assembly put the Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong to a vote in the plenary session in the afternoon, and it was passed with 189 votes in favor and 1 against out of 190 members present.

The People Power Party attempted to block the special prosecutor law by initiating a filibuster at 3:39 p.m. the previous day, but according to the National Assembly Act, after unlimited debate and 24 hours have passed, the filibuster ends if at least three-fifths (180 members) of the total members vote in favor, so they failed to block it.

The passage was led by the opposition party. Among the ruling party members, Representative Ahn Cheol-soo and Representative Kim Jae-seop remained in the meeting room and cast votes in favor and against, respectively.

President Yoon Seok-yeol is expected to exercise his right to request reconsideration (veto) on the Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong, as he did during the 21st National Assembly.