Once again, special prosecution bills have become a source of division ahead of the April 10 general elections.
That is the last thing South Korea needs right now. Nevertheless, with a catalyst in place, activities are intensifying within the corridors of the presidential office and political parties, echoing a war-drum beat as they gear up for the upcoming general elections, typically culminating in winner-takes-all outcomes.
As anticipated, President Yoon Suk Yeol swiftly vetoed two special prosecution bills led by the opposition. He did so speedily through an extraordinary Cabinet meeting last Friday. The bills in question pertain to the alleged involvement of first lady Kim Keon Hee in a stock manipulation scandal from 2009 to 2012 at a licensed BMW dealership in Korea called Deutsch Motors. Another bill focuses on the purported "5 billion club" where six prominent people were promised 5 billion won ($3.8 million) each from a firm involved in a in a corruption-laden development project in Daejang-dong, Seongnam, where the main opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, previously served as mayor. This is the........