Presiding Over Afternoon Cabinet Meeting... Focus on Special Prosecutor Law Submission
Weight on Ruling and Opposition Parties' Negotiations After Veto
Attention on Constitutional Court Justice Appointment... Choi Deliberating
Yoon's Arrest Warrant Issuance a Variable... Appointment Prospects Also Considered
Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Economy and Finance, Choi Sang-mok is visiting the National Assembly on the 30th and meeting Woo Won-sik, Speaker of the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as Minister of Economy and Finance, has reached a first crossroads regarding the so-called 'Double Special Prosecutor Laws' (the General Special Prosecutor Law on Rebellion and the Special Prosecutor Law on First Lady Kim Geon-hee). He is expected to exercise the right to request reconsideration (veto) within the deadline in line with the existing government and ruling party stance, while later seeking a bipartisan agreement. Since Acting President Choi must prevent additional impeachment motions to maintain national stability, there is also speculation that even if he vetoes the Special Prosecutor Laws, he could still appoint constitutional court justices.
According to the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the 31st, Acting President Choi will preside over the first Cabinet meeting under his acting authority in the afternoon. Whether the reconsideration requests on the General Special Prosecutor Law on Rebellion and the Special Prosecutor Law on First Lady Kim Geon-hee, which have drawn significant political attention, will be submitted and deliberated has not yet been decided. A government official explained, "We plan to gather opinions and carefully consider the matter before the Cabinet meeting."
Within the government and political circles, there is widespread analysis that Acting President Choi will submit and approve the reconsideration request on the Special Prosecutor Laws at the Cabinet meeting to exercise the veto. Given that Choi stated on the 27th that "the role of an acting president's acting authority is very limited," it is expected to be difficult for him to take a stance contrary to President Yoon Seok-youl and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. The Ministry of Justice also viewed these Special Prosecutor Laws as containing unconstitutional and illegal elements regarding candidate recommendations and investigation scope, and it is known that Acting President Choi partially agrees.
On the morning of the same day, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, told reporters at the National Assembly, "The Double Special Prosecutor Laws have strong unconstitutional elements," and formally requested the government to exercise the right to request reconsideration. He added, "Since the Special Prosecutor Laws aim to investigate everything related to the Yoon Seok-youl administration, the scope is broad and unreasonable," emphasizing, "We also oppose the special prosecutors recommended by the opposition party."
The Democratic Party's difficulty in pushing for additional impeachment following the Muan International Airport aircraft disaster also strengthens Acting President Choi's position to reject the Special Prosecutor Laws. While the Democratic Party strongly pressured against exercising veto rights on contentious bills such as the Grain Management Act during Han Duck-soo's acting presidency, they now prioritize disaster recovery and are relatively passive regarding impeachment motions against the acting president.
Accordingly, if Acting President Choi exercises the veto and the Double Special Prosecutor Laws return to the National Assembly, he may pursue a direction to eliminate unconstitutional and illegal elements through bipartisan agreement. However, given the significant partisan differences over the Special Prosecutor Laws and the heavy workload related to the aircraft disaster and other acting president duties, it cannot be ruled out that Acting President Choi will deliberate until the veto deadline of January 1 next year and then hold an extraordinary Cabinet meeting to make a decision.
Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Economy and Finance, is leaving the Government Seoul Office Building on the morning of the 29th to respond to the aircraft accident at Muan Airport in Jeonnam. Photo by Yonhap News
Acting President Choi must also decide on the appointment of constitutional court justices. Unlike the exercise of veto rights on the Special Prosecutor Laws, there is no set deadline for appointing constitutional court justices, but a position is expected to emerge after the national mourning period ends on January 4 next year. Although Acting President Choi has not yet decided on the appointments, there is speculation within and outside political circles that he may either withhold appointments to urge bipartisan agreement or make a sudden appointment.
Since Acting President Choi recognizes the need to prevent additional impeachment motions against the acting president to maintain national stability and eliminate economic uncertainty, it is analyzed that he may take a different approach from Prime Minister Han Duck-soo regarding the appointment of constitutional court justices. The court's issuance of an arrest warrant for President Yoon on the same day could also act as a variable. It is known that Acting President Choi strongly opposed the declaration of martial law during President Yoon's emergency, and the consensus is that appointing constitutional court justices is essential for a swift impeachment trial.
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