Presidential Office: "Yoon's Veto Use Blamed on Opposition... Not Afraid of Deobureo Wihwon Party"

"Opposition Forces Push Through Bills Full of Unconstitutional and Illegal Provisions"
"Presidential Request for Reconsideration is a Duty and Responsibility"
"Opposition Blocking Reconsideration Request... Clearly Unconstitutional"

Jeong Hye-jeon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, is holding a briefing on current issues at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 2nd, regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol's exercise of the right to request reconsideration (veto) on the so-called Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor law and others, the presidential office stated that it was "due to the opposition party unilaterally pushing through bills full of unconstitutional and illegal elements."

They also pointed at the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "We want to ask if they are not afraid of being recorded in history as the 'Democratic Unconstitutional Party,' which has proposed the most bills with unconstitutional and illegal elements."

Jeong Hye-jeon, spokesperson for the presidential office, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 2nd and said, "According to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, it is both a duty and responsibility for the president to exercise the right to request reconsideration on unconstitutional and illegal bills."

Earlier, President Yoon approved the request for reconsideration on the same day for the 'Special Prosecutor Appointment Act for the Investigation of Obstruction and Concealment of the Death of a Marine (Special Prosecutor Chae Sang-byeong Act),' the 'Special Prosecutor Appointment Act for the Investigation of Stock Price Manipulation Involving President Yoon Suk-yeol's Spouse Kim Geon-hee (Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act),' and the 'Partial Amendment Act on the Promotion of Local Love Gift Certificates (Local Currency Act).'

Spokesperson Jeong emphasized, "The special prosecutor law related to the fallen marine is a bill that has already been discarded twice but is being pushed through again, and the special prosecutor law related to Kim Geon-hee was also discarded once and then unilaterally passed again with additional suspicions attached. These two special prosecutor laws clearly reveal the opposition party's intention to lead the investigation."

She added, "Allowing the special prosecutor to be appointed according to the opposition party's preference effectively strips the president of the right to appoint special prosecutors, violating the constitutional principle of separation of powers and undermining political neutrality and fairness. Furthermore, there is a strong intention to politicize the issue through real-time briefings and public trials."

Regarding the Local Currency Act, she pointed out, "In short, it is a law that damages local areas. By mandating the issuance of local gift certificates and obligating the state to provide financial support, it undermines local autonomy and causes a side effect where wealthier local governments receive more national resources, leading to a widening gap between rich and poor."

Spokesperson Jeong stated, "The current state of the opposition party is to continuously pass bills full of unconstitutional and illegal elements. Are they trying to exploit the exercise of the right to request reconsideration by counting the numbers and using it again for a shielded impeachment special prosecutor hearing for party leader Lee Jae-myung?"

She continued, "So far, the opposition party has unilaterally passed a total of 24 bad laws. However, the opposition party is now trying to block the exercise of the right to request reconsideration, which is a means to stop such reckless behavior, through legislation. This infringement of the constitutionally guaranteed presidential authority by law is also unconstitutional," she criticized.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.