Acting president under pressure

[Anchor]

The amendment to the special prosecution law regarding the charges of insurrection has passed the National Assembly's plenary session under the leadership of the opposition party, shifting the responsibility back to Acting President Choi Sang-mok.

As Acting President Choi emphasized the need for bipartisan agreement, there are predictions that he may exercise the right to request reconsideration, but it seems unlikely that it will be presented at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for tomorrow (1.21).

Reporter Hyun Ye-seul has the details.

[Report]

The 'special prosecution law on insurrection charges' was already rejected and discarded by the National Assembly on Jan. 8th.

The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, proposed the special prosecution law again, adding charges related to 'foreign aggression inducement,' and as the possibility of clash increased ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's arrest, Acting President Choi Sang-mok suggested a 'bipartisan agreement on special prosecution law' as a solution.

[Choi Sang-mok/Acting President/Jan. 13: "I ask that a special prosecution bill without unconstitutional elements be prepared together by both parties."]

However, even after President Yoon's arrest, bipartisan agreement was not reached, and on the 17th, a second special prosecution bill was passed under the leadership of the opposition.

The Democratic Party stated that the amendment reflects the demands of the People Power Party significantly and called for swift promulgation, while the People Power Party demanded that Acting President Choi exercise the right to request reconsideration, claiming it was passed without agreement.

[Kwon Young-se/Chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee: "The special prosecution bill on insurrection
was unilaterally passed. In short, they declared the intention to create an investigative agency for the Democratic Party."]

[Park Chan-dae/Democratic Party Floor Leader: "(Delaying the promulgation of the special prosecution law) is a way to prolong the insurrection and turn South Korea into a lawless land."]

However, an issue has arised.

Even if the special prosecution law is promulgated immediately, it can only be launched by the end of February at the earliest, because the prosecution is expected to indict President Yoon early next month due to his detention.

According to the principle of non-duplicative investigation, the special prosecution will not be able to indict President Yoon on insurrection charges.

The deadline for requesting reconsideration of the special prosecution law is until the 2nd of next month.

Acting President Choi is likely to hold an extraordinary Cabinet meeting right after the Lunar New Year holiday to decide on whether to request reconsideration, rather than at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

This is KBS News, Hyun Ye-seul.