South Korea's National Assembly on Thursday passed three contentious bills pushed ahead by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, including one that mandates a special counsel probe into multiple allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee. The special counsel probe bill passed 167-0 by the opposition-led parliament during Thursday's plenary meeting is an updated version of the one vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol in January. The previous version focused on appointing a special counsel to investigate the first lady's alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme involving Deutsch Motors, a BMW car dealer in Korea, which goes back to 2009 and 2012, while the latest bill added several other allegations, including that Kim illegally interfered in the ruling party People Power Party's candidate nominations ahead of the April 10 general election.
It also calls for a more detailed probe into Kim's receipt of a luxury Christian Dior bag from a Korean American pastor, following the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office's recent decision to drop graft, bribery and other charges against her following a four-month inquiry into the case. The ruling People Power Party boycotted Thursday's plenary session, with its floor leader saying that all three bills would eventually be vetoed by Yoon yet again. "Such bills passed by (the opposition-led Assembly) without the consent of both the ruling and the main opposition parties are bound to take the path of getting vetoed by the.