S. Korea's Acting President vetoes Yoon election probe bill

Seoul, March 14 (IANS) South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Friday demanded the National Assembly to reconsider an opposition-led bill calling for a special counsel probe into President Yoon Suk Yeol over an alleged influence-peddling scandal linked to the 2022 parliamentary by-elections.

The bill, passed by the Democratic Party (DP)-controlled parliament on February 27, seeks an investigation into allegations that Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, received approximately 76 million won (US$52,300) from former ruling party lawmaker Kim Young-sun in exchange for helping secure her nomination in the by-elections.

The special counsel would also investigate allegations that Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee were involved in the nomination process for both the 2022 local elections and last year's parliamentary elections.

"The scope of the investigation is excessively broad and lacks clarity, raising concerns about potential violations of the constitutional principles of precision and proportionality," Choi said while presiding over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting, Yonhap news agency reported.

Myung allegedly secured Kim Young-sun's nomination in return for conducting public opinion polls favourable to Yoon ahead of the 2022 presidential election. Both Myung and the former ruling People Power Party lawmaker, Kim Young-sun, have already been indicted.

"In a situation where prosecution investigation is gaining momentum, introducing a special counsel probe goes against the fundamental purpose of the special prosecutor system," Choi added.

It marks the eighth time Choi has exercised veto power since assuming interim leadership in December, including a special counsel probe bill into Yoon over his imposition of martial law.

The DP has intensified its criticism of Choi, accusing him of repeatedly using his veto authority to block key opposition-led bills.

Typically, motions of this nature are approved during Cabinet meetings chaired by the prime minister and then sent to the president for endorsement before being returned to the National Assembly for a revote.