Yoon’s rejection of special probe puts pressure on CIO

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday implied that he plans to exercise his veto power over the bill mandating an in-depth investigation into the death of a young Marine last year, which onlookers say will pressure the country’s anti corruption investigation office to produce meaningful results.

The implication, which was made during a press conference marking the second anniversary of Yoon’s presidency, came as the Corruption Investigation Office For High-ranking

Officials and the police have recently “sped up” their probe, launched in August last year, into the accusations that the current administration abused its power in a case tied to the death of Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun.

“If the people say that (the authorities) turned a blind eye or if the outcome of the latest investigation fails to convince them, I’ll be the one suggesting the special counsel probe (into the matter) first (before anyone else),” Yoon said, calling for patience from the public and the opposition over the anticorruption investigation ongoing probe.

“However, for the moment, I believe it is right to watch the progress in the investigation and the judicial process while believing in (the authorities’) mindset and their attitude (toward the case),” he added.

The remarks indirectly reject a special bill that mandates an indepth investigation into the current administration’s involvement in Chae’s death, which was passed by the opposition-led National Assembly last week.

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It also puts pressure on the CIO, which has been criticized in recent months over the slower-than-expected pace of its investigation, for Yoon to avoid signing the special probe bill into law, onlookers say.

The Yoon administration is currently accused of coercing an investigator to abandon charges against a division commander who allegedly mishandled the search and rescue mission for civilian victims during heavy rains and flooding in July last year, during which Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun died.