Seoul, Dec 18 South Korea's Acting President Han Duck-soo will convene an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on Thursday, which is expected to decide whether to veto contentious bills.
The meeting is set to review the six bills passed by the main opposition Democratic Party last month -- four agricultural bills, the National Assembly Act and the National Assembly Testimony Appraisal Act.
If Han does not demand that the National Assembly reconsider the bills by Saturday, they will be enacted into law.
One of the key bills under review is the Grain Management Act, which would require the government to purchase surplus rice to stabilise prices during market fluctuations, Yonhap news agency reported.
A similar bill was vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol in March 2023 and was scrapped in a revote.
The National Assembly Act seeks to prevent the automatic submission of the following year's government budget to the plenary session after the legal deadline, while the testimony appraisal act would make it mandatory for companies to submit data requested by lawmakers.
The ruling People Power Party has opposed the bills, expressing concerns about the financial burden of the mandatory rice purchase and potential risks of trade data leaks during parliamentary testimonies.
The Acting President also faces a critical decision on whether to veto two opposition-led bills mandating special probes into Yoon's short-lived martial law declaration on December 3 and allegations against First Lady Kim Keon Hee.
On December 14, just after the suspension of Yoon from Presidential duties, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo immediately began his duties as the acting President and convened a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul.
The impeachment trial of President Yoon can take up to 180 days. If the impeachment is upheld, Yoon will become the second President to be ousted after former President Park Geun-hye in 2017, triggering a snap Presidential election within 60 days.
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