Han Duck-soo, current acting president of Korea, has made use of presidential power for veto for the first time, shedding six bills on very contentious grounds passed by the opposition.
Han was appointed to the interim role after his impeachment while the other president, Yoon Suk Yeol, lost his privileges. He made this decision during an extraordinary meeting with the Cabinet on Thursday.
The bills in question include four governing agricultural laws and two relating to parliamentary procedures. These were proposed by the opposition Democratic Party and approved the prior month. He later endorsed a motion requesting the National Assembly to reconsider the bills.
During that time, Han expressed regret. But there was allegedly a necessity to put forward the future interests of the nation above and uphold the Constitution. He emphasized how important it is to cooperate in spite of the difficulties inherent in them.
Vetoed was one of the major bills—the Grain Management Act. Its essence: to stabilise rice prices during market fluctuation by requiring the government to buy surplus when the market would fall.
It echoes a similar proposal vetoed by President Yoon in March 2023. Critics say it would distort the market place; especially it would become a burden on the wallet of the government.
Another bill that met the veto is the National Assembly Act. This amendment was supposed to prevent automatic submission of government budgets to plenary sessions when deadlines were missed.
This, according to Han, has the potential to compromise timely implementation of the national budget to the detriment of public welfare.
The National Assembly Testimony Appraisal Act has also been vetoed now, as it recommended mandatory submission of data to legislators. Han eyed violation of privacy and danger to proprietary technology, trade secrets, and the like, throwing caution to the winds because of its consequences.
Han has attracted criticism from the main opposition Democratic Party. The party called for solidarity restraint as the Acting President called for status quo during the politically sensitive times.
However, both the government and the ruling People Power Party stood by the vetoes, arguing that such measures work against the economic and national interests.
The opposition party was the mouthpiece behind the establishment of agricultural bills that claim to protect farmers from price volatility and support the rural populace.
The other part spearheaded is the stricter accountability measures despite the proposed parliamentary acts, which have met resistance from the ruling party.
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