[Exclusive] Ruling and Opposition Parties' Council to Raise 'Sejong Assembly Hall Installation' as Agenda Item

Sejong Assembly Hall Installation to Be Raised as Agenda in Ruling and Opposition Party Council
Chungcheong Region Serves as 'Barometer' in Past Elections
Key Regional Issue and Strategic Hub
After Behind-the-Scenes Coordination of Ruling and Opposition Agendas
Discussion at Cheongwadae Followed by Mid-Month Meeting
President Moon and Party Leaders to Attend

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The installation of the National Assembly Sejong Chamber is expected to be discussed as an agenda item in the consultative body involving both ruling and opposition parties and the government. It is likely to gain momentum ahead of the presidential election.

On the 4th, a key official from the Democratic Party of Korea said, "At the policy committee level, we have prepared almost all agenda items for the consultative body between the ruling and opposition parties, and among them, the amendment to the National Assembly Act for the installation of the Sejong Chamber will be included as one of the important agenda items." He added, "We have not yet exchanged agenda items with the opposition party, but it will be finalized through working-level consultations within this week." The plan is for the ruling and opposition parties to coordinate the agenda, discuss it with the Blue House, and hold a meeting in mid-month.

The construction of the Sejong Chamber was agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties, and 12.7 billion KRW was additionally reflected in this year’s government budget for design costs. However, the budget bill included a supplementary opinion stating that "the project will proceed after the necessary legal grounds for the construction of the Sejong Chamber are established," making the amendment of the National Assembly Act necessary. Recently, momentum has been secured as the distribution of standing committee chairpersons was agreed upon, and the Democratic Party took the chairmanship of the Steering Committee.

As it is the biggest issue in the Chungcheong region, which has played a 'casting vote' role in past elections, leading presidential candidates from the ruling party are also lending their support. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung visited Daejeon on the 2nd and said, "The Sejong Chamber has even been budgeted for, so it should be pushed forward quickly." Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon also visited Sejong City in June and emphasized, "The construction of the Sejong Chamber is a promise that can no longer be delayed." Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced the ‘Chungcheong New Capital Area Plan’ the day before and declared, "The Sejong Chamber will be realized by September." A senior Democratic Party lawmaker said, "From the ruling party’s perspective, how much they can target the Chungcheong region, where former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl claims ties, will have a major impact on expanding their support base."

Party leader Song Young-gil also emphasized during his visit to Sejong City in June for the budget policy meeting, "After electing the chairpersons of the Steering Committee and other standing committees in the July National Assembly, if the People Power Party does not respond, we will proceed with the vote even if it is unilateral." The opposition party currently has no clear grounds for opposition. This is because the region is claimed by former Prosecutor General Yoon, the top opposition presidential candidate who sparked the ‘Chungcheong Great Hope Theory,’ and the distribution of standing committee chairpersons has already been agreed upon. People Power Party lawmaker Chung Jin-seok, who has supported Yoon since his early political career, also submitted a ‘National Assembly Act amendment bill’ centered on the installation of the Sejong Chamber.

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who joined the People Power Party, visited the National Assembly on the 2nd, greeted Representative Lee Jun-seok and the Secretariat staff, and then left the main building. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

The permanent consultative body between the ruling and opposition parties was agreed upon by President Moon Jae-in and the floor leaders of the five parties in August 2018 during a luncheon at the Blue House. Although it had not convened until now, the consultative body was reactivated after two and a half years when Party Leader Song and People Power Party Leader Lee Jun-seok agreed to restart it in June.