National Assembly ( Yonhap ) The National Assembly on Monday passed the government ’ s 3 . 83 trillion won ( $ 3 . 54 billion ) supplementary budget bill and a proposal to conduct a special counsel probe into an opinion - rigging scandal , after a monthslong deadlock . Motions for the arrest of two opposition lawmakers , suspected of embezzlement and abuse of power , were voted down during the plenary session . On Sunday , rival parties agreed to end the standoff that had lasted almost two months . The ruling Democratic Party of Korea accepted opposition parties ’ demand for a special counsel probe into the “ Druking ” scandal , while the opposition Liberty Korea Party agreed to vote for the president ’ s extra budget proposal . The expected special counsel probe will be the Moon Jae - in administration ’ s first , and the 13 th in the country ’ s history . The independent counsel will be appointed by the president to lead a probe team of 86 members , including three assistant independent counsels and 13 prosecutors . The opinion - rigging scandal broke in early March when a power blogger nicknamed “ Druking ” was alleged to have masterminded an illegal online campaign to manipulate and sway public opinion for the liberal Democratic Party and President Moon . Former lawmaker Kim Kyoung - soo of the Democratic Party has been accused of having ties with the blogger . He is currently running as a gubernatorial candidate for South Jeolla Province in the June 13 local elections . The special counsel probe will be given 20 days of preparation time and up to 90 days for inquiry . It is expected to be launched after the local elections . Lawmakers also passed the supplementary budget bill , 45 days after the government submitted the bill to the parliament . The extra budget bill seeks to boost youth employment and support regional governments to revive local economies that are struggling from restructuring in the shipbuilding and the automaking sectors . Meanwhile , the proposal to arrest Reps . Hong Moon - jong and Yeom Dong - yeol of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party was voted down . Rep . Hong is suspected of embezzling an operating fund of 7 billion won from a private school foundation , while Rep . Yeom is accused of abusing his power in an illicit hiring scandal involving Kangwon Land Casino , which is located in his constituency . Prosecutors also sought an arrest warrant for the conservative opposition ’ s three - term lawmaker Rep . Kweon Seong - dong , but this has not been submitted to the parliament yet . Korean law requires approval from the National Assembly to arrest incumbent lawmakers while the National Assembly is in session . By Jo He - rim ( herim @ heraldcorp . com ) [ 코리아 헤럴드 ] [ K - POP HERALD ] [ 페이스북 ] <ⓒ KoreaHerald ( www . koreaherald . com ) 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 >