The Democratic Party Aims to Accelerate Prevention of Judiciary Committee Overreach... Targeting Completion Before the Regular National Assembly Session

Opposition to handing over the Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairmanship to the opposition party within the party

Yun Ho-jung, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a press conference marking 100 days since his inauguration at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yun Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The Democratic Party of Korea has begun to accelerate efforts to prevent the Legislative and Judiciary Committee from overstepping its authority. The party's policy is to ensure that the related bill is passed before the regular session of the National Assembly.

On the 25th, the Democratic Party stated, "As agreed by both ruling and opposition parties, we will pass the National Assembly Act, which eliminates the 'kingmaker' function of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee, at the plenary session on August 25, before the regular session." The Democratic Party plans to quickly start discussions in the Steering Committee, which oversees the National Assembly Act, next month to pass the bill.

The ruling and opposition parties plan to amend the National Assembly Act to reduce the period for the system and wording review of bills referred to the Legislative and Judiciary Committee from 120 days to 60 days and to limit the committee's function to system and wording review only. Although not explicitly stated in the National Assembly Act, they also agreed on a 'gentlemen's agreement' that during the system and wording review by the Legislative and Judiciary Committee, a vice minister, not a minister, will attend, and bills that have passed 60 days will be promptly referred to the plenary session by the relevant standing committee.

However, criticism of this agreement continues within the party. This is because the party leadership handed over the chairmanship of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee for the second half of the National Assembly to the opposition party for this agreement. Nevertheless, the Democratic Party's floor leadership maintains that there is no problem with legislative momentum. They argue that although concerns arise when the chairmanship is handed to the opposition, the amendment to the National Assembly Act is a prerequisite for this agreement, and with more than 170 seats, checks and balances are possible.

Yoon Ho-jung, the Democratic Party floor leader, said, "It will be difficult to find the Legislative and Judiciary Committee and its chairperson acting as an upper house or kingmaker anymore," adding, "The monopolistic structure of standing committees will be resolved, allowing us to break free from the shackles that have prevented us from actively pursuing media and prosecution reforms and to push them forward in earnest."