President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and first lady Kim Keon Hee clap during a dinner meeting with athletes who participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics at a hotel in Seoul, Aug. 22. Yonhap

The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed regret Monday over the opposition's renewed push for bills mandating special probes into first lady Kim Keon Hee and a Marine's death that he had previously vetoed.

A bill calling for a special counsel into Kim's allegations, including stock manipulation, the receipt of a luxury bag and interference in personnel affairs, passed the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee's bill review subcommittee, led by the main opposition Democratic Party.

It will undergo further review at the judiciary committee before being introduced in the National Assembly's plenary session for a vote. If passed, it would be the second such bill after a similar bill was vetoed by Yoon and scrapped in a revote in January.

"More controversial provisions have been added to the bill that was previously discarded," a senior presidential official told reporters. "People would feel tired of it by now."

The official explained Yoon vetoed a similar bill as the stock manipulation case had already been investigated under the previous Moon Jae-in administration and expressed concerns that an investigation by a special prosecutor appointed by the opposition could be biased.

Prosecutors last month decided to drop graft, bribery and other charges against Kim regarding her acceptance of a Dior handbag worth 3 million won ($2,248) from a pastor in 2022. The prosecution's investigation review committee last week endorsed the decision, but public sentiment remains negative about her conduct.

A separate special counsel bill, aimed at investigating the military's response to a Marine's death last year, also passed the subcommittee, which marks the opposition's fourth attempt to pass such legislation.

The latest bill mandates a special counsel recommended by the Supreme Court chief justice, which is similar to the "third-party" bill proposed by ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon.

The presidential office reiterated that a special counsel probe is unnecessary as police investigation and parliamentary hearings have already revealed no interference behind the case.

The official called the new bill a "whitewashed" third-party special counsel bill as it requires the opposition to shortlist two candidates out of four and allows it to exercise veto rights if the candidates are deemed unsuitable. (Yonhap)