Choi Sang-mok Exercises Veto on 'Free High School National Funding'... "Duty to Protect Constitution and National Interest"

Third Presidential Veto Following the Dual Special Prosecution Law
Choi Presents Three Principles for Exercising Veto Power for the First Time
Ruling and Opposition Parties and Government Take 'My Way' Approach... Cooperation Seems Unlikely

Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Economy and Finance, is holding a Cabinet meeting at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News

Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as Minister of Economy and Finance, exercised his right to request reconsideration (veto power) on the amendment to the Local Education Finance Grant Act passed by the National Assembly led by the Democratic Party of Korea on the 14th. Acting President Choi set three principles for exercising the veto power that day and announced his intention to continue sending the bill back to the National Assembly if it deviates from these principles in the future.

On the morning of the same day, Acting President Choi reviewed and approved the reconsideration request for the amendment to the Local Education Finance Grant Act at the Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office before exercising the veto power. The amendment extends the temporary provision period by three years, which requires the state, local governments, and metropolitan and provincial offices of education to share the costs necessary for free high school education. If the amendment is ultimately rejected after returning to the National Assembly, the entire budget for free high school education will be borne by the metropolitan and provincial offices of education.

Acting President Choi also plans to veto the amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which defines AI digital textbooks as educational materials rather than textbooks. Since there is still time before the veto deadline for this bill, it is scheduled to be submitted to the Cabinet meeting on the 21st.

This is the third time Acting President Choi has exercised the presidential veto power, following the special prosecution law on the December 31 internal rebellion and Kim Geon-hee cases last year. In his opening remarks, Acting President Choi explained the reason for the veto, stating, "Although an alternative was proposed to extend the national cost-sharing period by three years and gradually reduce the sharing ratio, the amendment was passed without sufficient discussion. Under limited financial resources, it is desirable to maximize the use of local education finances for the efficient management of the nation's overall finances."

In particular, Acting President Choi announced three criteria for exercising the veto power that day: ▲ cases containing unconstitutional content such as infringement of citizens' fundamental rights or violation of the separation of powers ▲ cases contrary to national interests and future preparedness ▲ cases where execution is practically difficult or significantly unreasonable due to financial conditions, among others. This is interpreted as an intention to create grounds for reconsideration requests in advance, as conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties over whether to exercise veto power are inevitable whenever opposition-led bills pass the National Assembly. Acting President Choi said, "I consider it my duty to the people as an acting president with the responsibility to uphold the Constitution and national interests to inevitably exercise the right to request reconsideration."

The exercise of veto power on this day is expected to further intensify conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties. Although the ruling party, opposition, and government are outwardly discussing cooperation, the Democratic Party passed the internal rebellion special prosecution law at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee plenary meeting without bipartisan consultation the day before, and the government and ruling party continue to exercise veto power despite the Democratic Party's opposition, showing a 'my way' approach. In the future, conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties are likely to arise over the special prosecution law, veto power, and the execution of arrest warrants for President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Meanwhile, the government approved a proposal at the Cabinet meeting on the same day to designate the 27th as a temporary holiday. Acting President Choi said, "I ask the people to take sufficient time to recharge during the long holiday period, participate in domestic travel and 'good consumption activities' to boost domestic demand, and create a spirit of coexistence." He added, "In particular, to promote the consumption of domestic agricultural and marine products during the holiday period, please actively participate in purchasing livelihood gift sets."