President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung hinted, Tuesday, that he was ruling out exercising his veto against a disputed bill that removes prosecutors' supplementary investigative powers, amid concerns that it could result in investigative gaps and weaken protections for crime victims.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee said the bill, although controversial, did not present constitutional or legal defects serious enough to justify rejecting legislation passed by the National Assembly.
He was referring to the bill on prosecution reform, which the majority-wielding Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) passed on Friday amid protest from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and public discontent that intensified following allegations of police misconduct in a murder case involving a son of a police officer.
The bill is aimed at stripping the prosecution of its direct investigative powers, under the broader goal of separating its decades-long powers to both investigate and press charges.
