National Assembly passes special probe bills into Marine's death, martial law, ex-first lady allegations

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National Assembly passes special probe bills into Marine's death, martial law, ex-first lady allegations

Published: 05 Jun. 2025, 17:07

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The National Assembly passes a bill on June 5 to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged abuse of power and election interference involving former First Lady Kim Keon Hee, shaman Jeon Seong-bae and political broker Myung Tae-kyun. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The National Assembly passed bills to launch special counsel probes on Thursday against three items, expanding investigations into high-profile political and military controversies, including the former president's botched attempt to impose martial law and scandals surrounding his wife.

The Democratic Party (DP) led the legislative push, securing 194 votes in favor out of 198 lawmakers present. Only three voted against the measures, with one abstention.

Marine death cover-up allegations

Among the acts passed on Thursday was a bill that aims to uncover the truth behind the death of Corporal Chae Su-geun, who died during a search operation for a missing person in July 2023 while serving in the Marine Corps.

The bill authorizes an investigation into the circumstances of his death and alleged interference by high-ranking government officials in the military investigation.

Under the bill, the DP and the Rebuilding Korea Party — currently the largest among the non-negotiating blocs — will nominate one candidate each for special prosecutor.

Martial law plot

The insurrection special investigation bill calls for a probe into alleged efforts by former President Yoon Suk Yeol and related figures to enact emergency martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The legislation outlines 11 charges, including conspiracy to commit insurrection, foreign subversion and mutiny.

Like the Chae case, special prosecutor nominees will come from the DP and the Rebuilding Korea Party.

The bill also amends the criteria for accessing presidential archives, easing the threshold from two-thirds of lawmakers or approval from a high court chief judge to three-fifths or permission from a district court chief judge.

First lady scandal

The special probe into Kim Keon Hee, the former first lady and Yoon's wife, authorizes an independent investigation into 16 allegations surrounding Kim.

These include her alleged role in the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case; acceptance of luxury gifts; potential involvement in undue political influence through figures like shaman Jeon Seong-bae, who goes by the moniker "Geonjin;" and election-related manipulation involving political broker Myung Tae-kyun.

Like the other two bills, the DP and the Rebuilding Korea Party will each nominate a special prosecutor candidate.

The National Assembly passes a bill to revise the Prosecutors’ Disciplinary Act on June 5 as most lawmakers from the conservative People Power Party walk out of the plenary session in protest. [YONHAP]

Expanded prosecutorial authority

An amendment passed alongside the bills increases the maximum number of assistant special prosecutors from four to seven and raises the cap on dispatched prosecutors from 40 to 60, boosting investigatory capacity.

These special investigation bills previously passed the legislature — three times for the Chae bill, twice for the martial law bill and four times for the Kim Keon Hee bill — but were rejected by former President Yoon via his veto power.

President Lee Jae-myung, who pledged to support these special prosecutor investigations during his campaign, is widely expected to promulgate the bills promptly. Once enacted, the nomination and appointment process for special prosecutors will commence.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]