Special prosecutor bill vetoed

[Anchor]

Hello everyone.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok has exercised his veto power against the second special prosecutor bill regarding the charges of insurrection and has sent it back to the National Assembly.

He stated that the bill still contains unconstitutional elements and that it is difficult to determine the necessity of a special prosecutor since President Yoon Suk Yeol and others have already been arrested and indicted.

The first report is by reporter Lee Hyun-jun.

[Report]

The second special prosecutor bill regarding insurrection charges passed the National Assembly under the leadership of the opposition party.

Negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties continued late into the night, but they failed to reach an agreement due to differences over the investigation of recognized cases.

This is the first point Acting President Choi Sang-mok highlighted as the reason for exercising the veto.

[Choi Sang-mok/Acting President: "I regret that, just like the previous special prosecutor bill, this bill passed the National Assembly without an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, solely by the opposition party."]

He also stated that a special prosecutor should only be introduced in a supplementary and exceptional manner when the fairness of the investigation is in doubt.

This means that since most key military and police figures, including the sitting president, have already been arrested and indicted, it is difficult to assess the necessity of introducing a special prosecutor at this point, where we need to observe the judicial process.

Acting President Choi also made it clear that there are still unconstitutional elements in the special prosecutor bill, particularly the possibility of leaking state secrets.

[Choi Sang-mok/Acting President: "The 'national secrets about location and place,' which are heavily protected by regulations limiting searches and verifications reflecting the specificity of a divided nation, are irrecoverable once leaked."]

He also mentioned that the provision for recognized investigations could lead to the investigation of foreign aggression inducement crimes, and if normal military operations become subjects of investigation, it could undermine military readiness.

This is the seventh time Acting President Choi has exercised his veto power since taking office.

KBS News, Lee Hyun-jun.