The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday tabled a contentious bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year, prompting the ruling party to launch a filibuster in protest. During a plenary meeting that convened belatedly due to the rival parties' bickering, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik announced the decision to accept the DP's request to table the bill before an interpellation session. Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) strongly opposed the bill and launched a filibuster. The DP had originally planned to table the special probe bill Tuesday, but was unable to do so as the plenary meeting was disrupted after DP Rep. Kim Byung-joo called PPP lawmakers "deranged" for using the term "South Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance" in a party commentary, drawing strong protest from PPP lawmakers. The special probe bill calls for a special counsel to look into allegations that the presidential office and the defense ministry inap propriately interfered in the Marines' investigation into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, killed during a search mission for victims of heavy downpours in July 2023. The DP-led bill had initially passed through the previous National Assembly but was voted down in a revote after President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed it. The DP proposed it again after the new National Assembly came into office in late May. A filibuster involves lawmakers holding the floor for extended periods as a way to prevent a parliamentary vote or delay the passage of a bill. The filibuster, however, is expected to be brought to an end on Thursday afternoon, as DP lawmakers submitted a request for its termination, several minutes after the procedure began. Under the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be forced to an end a full day after it begins, upon consent from at least three-fifths of all parliament members. The DP and other allied parties together hold 192 out of the 300 parliamentary seats, a majority strong enough to secure the necessary votes to end the filibuster. The presidential office has hinted that Yoon may once again exercise his veto power against the special probe bill. Source: Yonhap News Agency