Parliamentary committee passes special counsel bill targeting first lady, Marine’s death

A parliamentary committee on Wednesday passed a bill mandating a special counsel probe into allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee, including her alleged interference in April's general elections. The Democratic Party (DP) and other opposition parties, which hold a majority of seats in the legislation and judiciary committee, unilaterally passed the bill during the committee's plenary session at the National Assembly. Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party walked out of the meeting in protest. The bill calls for a special counsel to look into Kim's allegations, including stock manipulation, her receipt of a luxury bag and interference in the April 10 general elections. If passed at the upcoming plenary session Thursday, it would be the second such bill after a similar bill was vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol and scrapped in a revote in January. The DP is likely to keep pushing for the bill's passage, since the statute of limitations for election violations is set to end on Oct. 10. The parli amentary legislation and judiciary committee holds a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2024. (Yonhap) The parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee holds a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2024. (Yonhap) A separate special counsel bill, aimed at investigating the military's response to a Marine's death last year, also passed the committee. It marks the opposition's fourth attempt to pass such legislation. The latest bill mandates that the Supreme Court chief justice recommend four candidates to the special counsel. They will be narrowed down by the opposition parties to two, from which the president will make the final appointment. The special counsel will be tasked with looking into allegations the presidential office and the defense ministry inappropriately interfered in the military's investigation into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was killed during a search mission for victims of heavy downpours in July 2023. During Wednesday's session, the committee adopted a confirmation report on Kim Bok-hyeong, nominee for justice of the Constitutional Court. If appointed following a parliamentary confirmation hearing, Kim will keep at three the number of women on the Constitutional Court's nine-person bench. Another bill aimed at promoting the use of local currency vouchers to help boost the economy also passed the committee. Source: Yonhap News Agency