South Korea’s acting leader to veto Opposition-sponsored bills, deepening political strife

South Korea's acting leader to veto contentious bills, deepening political strife after President's impeachment, sparking legal investigations.

South Korea’s acting leader said on Thursday (December 19, 2024) he would veto a spate of contentious bills sponsored by the main Opposition party, deepening political strife in the wake of Parliament’s impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The ruling and Opposition parties have been bickering over how much authority Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country's No. 2 Official, has assumed since the Opposition-controlled National Assembly last Saturday (December 19, 2024) voted to suspend Mr. Yoon’s presidential powers over his short-lived Dec. 3 martial law. The Constitutional Court is to determine whether to formally dismiss the conservative Mr. Yoon as President or reinstate him.

Law enforcement Authorities are also separately investigating whether Mr. Yoon's martial law enforcement amounted to rebellion. Mr. Yoon's defence Minister, Police Chief and several other Military Commanders have already been arrested over the case. The main liberal Opposition Democratic Party earlier considered impeaching Mr. Han as well for failing to stop Mr. Yoon's martial law declaration, but shelved the idea after he became acting leader.

Four of the six bills to be vetoed by Mr. Han were meant to introduce greater state financial assistance programs for the country’s agriculture and fisheries industries.

The most contentious bill is the Grain Management Act, which would require the Government to buy surplus rice if the price drops too sharply to protect the country’s farming industry and promote its food sovereignty. Mr. Han said the bill would cause “immense” financial burdens on the Government and eventually lead to further drops in rice prices.

Another controversial bill is the National Assembly Testimony Appraisal Act, which would give lawmakers more power to request people to attend Parliament hearings and submit documents. Under the proposed legislation, individuals could no longer decline such requests by citing the protection of trade secrets or personal information.

The Democratic Party said the bill is necessary to determine the full details of Mr. Yoon’s martial law decree. But Mr. Han said the bill would likely infringe upon people’s privacy and that there are concerns among business leaders that key technology and company secrets could be leaked.