Acting President Choi to Reject Special Investigation Law on Insurrection Again? Decision to Be Made at Tomorrow's Cabinet Meeting

Cabinet Meeting to Decide on Veto Power on the 31st
Another Veto Likely as No Ruling-Opposition Agreement
Opposition Resistance Inevitable... Acting President Choi in Final Deliberation

Choe Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Economy and Finance, is speaking while presiding over the 'Macroeconomic and Financial Issues Meeting' held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 30th. Photo by Yonhap News

Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as Minister of Strategy and Finance, will decide on the exercise of the veto power regarding the 'Special Investigation Act on Treason' on the 31st. Since no agreement has been reached between the ruling and opposition parties, it is expected that the veto will be exercised again.

According to the government and political circles on the 30th, Acting President Choi plans to preside over the Cabinet meeting on the 31st and decide whether to accept the Special Investigation Act on Treason, which was passed by the National Assembly plenary session led by the opposition party.

The Special Investigation Act on Treason passed the National Assembly plenary session and was sent to the government on the 18th. The deadline for exercising the veto power is until the 2nd of next month. Considering that February 1st and 2nd fall on the weekend, the only practical date for Acting President Choi to promulgate or veto the Special Investigation Act is the 31st.

There is a strong expectation that Acting President Choi will exercise the veto power on the Special Investigation Act on Treason.

On December 31st last year, Acting President Choi exercised the veto power on the first Special Investigation Act on Treason, urging the ruling and opposition parties to reach an agreement by stating, "Since the special investigation system is an exceptional system under the principle of separation of powers in the Constitution, a stricter standard is required." This time as well, the ruling and opposition parties have failed to reach an agreement.

The People Power Party demands that Acting President Choi exercise the veto power, arguing that the Special Investigation Act on Treason contains many unconstitutional poison clauses. The growing argument that the special investigation is useless, following the prosecution's indictment of President Yoon Seok-youl on treason charges, may also influence Acting President Choi's decision.

If Acting President Choi requests reconsideration of the Special Investigation Act on Treason, it will be the seventh time he has exercised the veto power since assuming the acting presidency. This will surpass the six bills vetoed during Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's tenure as acting president.

However, since the opposition party is likely to strongly oppose this, Acting President Choi is expected to continue his final deliberations. The opposition insists that since the prosecution was unable to conduct a face-to-face investigation of President Yoon, a special investigation should be launched to maintain the indictment and conduct additional investigations.

The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, have previously improved many of the shortcomings of the Special Investigation Act on Treason pointed out by Acting President Choi. The special investigation candidate is now recommended by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court instead of the ruling and opposition parties, and the investigation targets have been reduced from 11 in the original bill to 6 by deleting charges such as foreign exchange offenses and treasonous propaganda and agitation.