Parliamentary committee passes new special counsel bill against Yoon's martial law bid

A new opposition-led bill mandating a special counsel probe into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid passed a parliamentary committee Monday.

Opposition parties unilaterally passed the bill during a meeting of the National Assembly's legislation and judiciary committee as ruling People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers walked out of the meeting in protest of the bill.

The previous bill, which proposed special counsel recommendations from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, was scrapped Wednesday after being voted down by just two votes.

The new version proposes that the Supreme Court's chief justice recommend a special counsel to look into Yoon's insurrection charges in an apparent effort to secure more defection votes from the PPP.

It also excludes a clause that allows opposition parties to request a new recommendation in the event the proposed candidate is deemed unfit.

The scope of the investigation has instead been expanded to include allegations Yoon committed "treason" against his own country by attempting to incite war or conflict by blaring loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border and sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets to North Korea.

Ruling party lawmakers criticized the scope of the probe as excessive.

"This can only be seen as a politically motivated attack that ignores the realities of our national security," PPP Rep. Park Jun-tae said. "Suggesting that security issues for the past year be investigated under treason charges is nothing short of an arbitrary act."

The DPK has claimed Yoon attempted to deliberately provoke military attacks from North Korea to justify his plans for martial law declaration.

The new bill is expected to advance to a full floor vote Thursday. (Yonhap)