The National Assembly on Tuesday voted down the disputed nursing act which was put up for a re-vote after President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed the opposition-pushed bill earlier this month.

Of 289 lawmakers in attendance, 178 voted for the legislation and 107 against, with four abstentions.  A vetoed bill requires two-thirds approval, meaning the support of at least 193 lawmakers is needed for it to pass. The outcome was widely expected as the ruling People Power Party holds over one-third of parliament seats. After the second vote, the bill is scrapped. 

The opposition-led parliament approved the nursing act late last month but Yoon exercised his veto power saying the legislation causes excessive conflict among medical professionals, such as doctors, nurses and nursing assistants.

Proponents of the law say it will improve working conditions by specifying the roles and duties of nurses to prevent overwork, while critics contend that it authorizes nurses to interfere in the duties of doctors and possibly provides legal grounds for nurses to open their own clinics.

Also on Tuesday, a motion requesting parliamentary consent for the arrest of two lawmakers involved in a bribery scandal connected to the main opposition Democratic Party's 2021 leadership election was reported to a plenary session of the National Assembly.

Prosecutors earlier sought arrest warrants for the two DP-turned-independent lawmakers, Youn Kwan-suk and Lee Sung-man. The motion will be put to a vote on June 12, with approval permitting the court to deliberate on the warrant.