Choo Mi-ae to Democratic Party: "Transferring the Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairmanship is a 'Wrong Deal'... Must Withdraw"

Former Minister of Justice and Democratic Party presidential candidate Chu Mi-ae is answering questions from the press after announcing her first pledge, "Land Rent Reform," at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 23rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Former Minister of Justice and Democratic Party presidential candidate Chu Mi-ae demanded the withdrawal of the agreement between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party to split the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee between the first and second halves of the 21st National Assembly, calling it a "wrong deal."

On the 25th, Chu posted on her Facebook, stating, "The Democratic Party should withdraw the wrong deal of conceding the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to the opposition party, and the National Assembly should establish a specialized body for systematic and editorial review of laws, similar to the government's legal affairs office."

She continued, "The Legislation and Judiciary Committee has used systematic and editorial review as a pretext to obstruct the submission of bills," adding, "The ruling party tried to keep the chairmanship, while the opposition party was determined to take it away."

She also pointed out, "Although the review period for systematic and editorial examination by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee was shortened from 120 days to 60 days, this does not fundamentally solve the problem," and emphasized, "The committee's authority should be limited to judicial-related tasks, and the committee, which has acted as a de facto upper house for other standing committees through its systematic and editorial review rights, must be fundamentally separated to prevent it from obstructing legislation."

Furthermore, Chu suggested, "The Legislation and Judiciary Committee should not become a bargaining chip for any party, and the National Assembly should prioritize the people over party interests," proposing, "A separate expert body should be established to review and supplement the legal system and editorial aspects of laws passed by each standing committee."

Meanwhile, on the 23rd, the ruling and opposition parties dramatically reached an agreement on the redistribution of standing committee chairmanships, with the Democratic Party taking the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee in the first half of the 21st National Assembly and the People Power Party in the second half. They also agreed to limit the committee's functions to systematic and editorial review and to shorten the review period from 120 days to 60 days before bills are submitted to the plenary session.