Acting President Choi Sang-mok vetoed another opposition-led bill Tuesday, citing constitutional concerns and the potential disruption it may cause on the Korea Communications Commission’s decision-making process.
During a Cabinet meeting in Seoul, Choi contended that the bill contained “significant unconstitutional elements” and warned that it could undermine the stability of the KCC’s operations. He emphasized that the bill must undergo a revote in parliament, requiring at least 200 votes in the 300-member legislature.
It marked the ninth veto Choi has exercised since the deputy prime minister assumed the role of acting president in late December, after both President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo were impeached.
Under the Yoon administration, a total of 40 bills were vetoed — including opposition-led bills to launch special counsel probes into scandals involving Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee. None met the threshold to override the presidential veto in the National Assembly.
The opposition-led bill, which passed the parliament's plenary session on Feb. 27, is aimed at requiring at least three members of the KCC to be present to make decisions on broadcast governance.
Under current rules, the KCC may make key decisions with only two of five members present.
Currently, the KCC boardroom consists of only Chair Lee Jin-sook and Vice Chair Kim Tae-kyu — both nominated by Yoon — while three posts remain vacant as the parliament has failed to reach a compromise to fill the spots.
With the two members, the KCC has made decisions under Yoon's administration such as the replacement of board members for public broadcasters, including those critical of the president.
The opposition party led the impeachment of Chair Lee in August, just after her inauguration in late July. Her impeachment case was overturned in a 4-4 ruling at the Constitutional Court in January.
Regarding ongoing social division amid the lingering deliberation at the Constitutional Court over Yoon's impeachment, Choi urged people to peacefully respect the impeachment verdict regardless of how the ruling unfolds.
"I sincerely ask people again to express their opinion within legal boundaries until the end, and to respect and accept any court decisions," Choi said.
Deputy Prime Minister Choi added that any vandalism, arson or physical violence against law enforcement in the wake of the impeachment ruling would be met with "a zero-tolerance principle."
The eight-member judicial bench of the Constitutional Court had yet to announce the date for the final verdict on Yoon's case as of press time. The nation's top court has deliberated on the case since the impeachment trial wrapped up on Feb. 26 with 11 hearings.
No previous presidential impeachment cases involved court deliberations that took longer than two weeks.
Since democratization in 1987, three out of eight South Korean presidents have been impeached by the parliament. In 2004, the court overturned President Roh Moo-hyun's impeachment 63 days after it passed the National Assembly. In 2017, President Park Geun-hye's impeachment was upheld after 91 days. She became the country's first sitting president to be formally removed from office by impeachment.
Choi also thanked the people for refraining from violence at rallies over the past weekend, when tens of thousands of people -- both for and against Yoon's impeachment -- took to the streets of cities including Seoul.
"Before the Constitutional Court's critical ruling, clashes between those supportive of Yoon's removal and those against it are intensifying, which amplifies people's concerns about accidents and physical conflict," Choi said.
"Thankfully, massive rallies across cities over the past weekend ended without major incidents, so I thank the people for their display of civic consciousness."
consnow@heraldcorp.com
