Acting President Choi Sang-mok has again vetoed a bill that would have authorized a special counsel investigation into the December 3 insurrection case.

Presiding over a Cabinet meeting Friday, the acting president said he inevitably decided to veto the bill, which is the second of its kind to be passed in parliament, after considering the constitutional order and the national interest, as well as the urgency of the nation’s crisis and the people’s wishes. 

While saying some unconstitutional features in a previous version of the bill have been corrected, Choi expressed regret that the latest bill gained parliamentary approval unilaterally from the opposition, without a bipartisan agreement. 

Pointing out that the Constitutional Court has begun President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial, Choi said it is difficult to assess the need for a special counsel probe at the present time, when the focus should be on developments in the judicial proceedings. 

The acting president said though the bill has been improved, it still has unconstitutional elements, and that concerns over national security have been raised regarding the bill.