United Future Party: "Forced Assignment of 103 Members to Standing Committees... Turning the National Assembly into a Blue House Branch Office"

On the 29th, while Future United Party members were absent from the National Assembly plenary session to elect 11 standing committee chairs, Democratic Party members lined up to vote. The Democratic Party stated that the Future United Party has decided to forgo the standing committee chairs, so they will take all 18 standing committee chair positions. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The United Future Party strongly opposed the Speaker of the National Assembly forcibly assigning members to standing committees, calling it "the obliteration of parliamentary democracy unprecedented in the history of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea."

Choi Hyung-doo, the floor spokesperson for the United Future Party, met with reporters on the 29th during a party meeting held in the second conference room of the National Assembly main building and strongly condemned the forced assignment of 103 United Future Party members, saying, "This has reduced the National Assembly to a Blue House branch office."

Currently, the United Future Party is holding a party meeting to denounce the problems of the forced assignment and discuss future countermeasures.

Spokesperson Choi pointed out, "While we were holding the party meeting, a tremendous outrage occurred," adding, "Forcibly assigning all 103 United Future Party members to standing committees is an infringement on the rights of National Assembly members and an abuse of power beyond the authority of the Speaker of the National Assembly."

He added, "The essence of this situation is the obliteration of parliamentary democracy unprecedented in the history of the Republic of Korea's National Assembly," and "It has become clear that the dialogues held so far were merely a pretense to proceed with the forced assignment."

Spokesperson Choi said, "The Speaker of the National Assembly and the ruling party leadership trampled on the will of the floor party that received 42% of the people's votes and violated the rights of the National Assembly," adding, "As opposition party members, we will do everything we can regarding budget measures that will burden the people's taxes, but discussions are ongoing on how to participate."

However, he emphasized that this does not mean they intend to participate in the standing committees. Spokesperson Choi said, "We are members of the National Assembly elected by the people, and there are duties we must fulfill according to our conscience and constitutional responsibility," adding, "The Speaker of the National Assembly and the ruling party leadership cannot forcibly mobilize us at any time. How can they impose such a state on us?"

Regarding the criticism that they might be internally preparing the list for the standing committees, he emphasized, "We cannot prepare it," adding, "There has been no resolution on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee issue, so it is impossible that we have prepared or submitted a standing committee assignment list."