By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- The Cabinet again passed a motion Tuesday demanding the National Assembly reconsider a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death, the second time it did so in less than two months.
The bill calls for the appointment of a special counsel to look 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.
Should President Yoon Suk Yeol endorse the motion, the legislation will be sent back to the National Assembly, marking an escalation of a monthslong standoff between rival parties over the contentious bill, as an earlier version was passed by the opposition-controlled Assembly in May but vetoed by Yoon and then ultimately scrapped.
The latest version was introduced by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) following the inauguration of the new National Assembly in late May. Despite fierce protest from the ruling People Power Party, the DP railroaded it through a plenary session last week.
The ruling bloc has opposed the bill, citing the need to first see the results of an ongoing investigation by the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (4th from L) speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul on July 9, 2024. (Yonhap)
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