Jinseongjun "Election of National Assembly Chairpersons on July 1 Temporary Session Assembly Day"
"Negotiations for Normalizing the Assembly, Including Additional Standing Committee Chair Allocations, Continue"
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Jin Seong-jun, the senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 30th, "We plan to elect the Speaker of the National Assembly on the assembly day of the July 1st extraordinary session," adding, "Our (Democratic Party) policy is to continue negotiations for the normalization of the National Assembly, such as the additional distribution of standing committee chairs."
Senior Deputy Jin appeared on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' on the same day and said, "The National Assembly has been in a state of vacancy for over a month, and we can no longer leave it unattended."
Jin Seong-jun, Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 29th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
Senior Deputy Jin pointed out, "The National Assembly Act stipulates that the Speaker of the latter half of the National Assembly must be elected five days before the term of the Speaker of the first half expires (on the 29th). According to the National Assembly Act, the Speaker of the latter half should have been elected by May 24, and the latter half of the National Assembly should have opened from May 30."
Regarding the Democratic Party's unilateral convening of the July extraordinary session and the People Power Party's use of expressions such as 'running wild, arbitrary, and dictatorial,' he said, "These are unilateral claims by the People Power Party," criticizing, "From the beginning of the negotiations, there was no sign of the People Power Party's willingness to restore the broken trust between the ruling and opposition parties in the process of normalizing the National Assembly." He continued, "In such a situation, the floor leader of the opposing party refused negotiations for the normalization of the National Assembly and left the country. The Democratic Party had no choice," and pointed out, "Words like arbitrary, running wild, dictatorship, and dictatorial should be returned to the People Power Party."
People Power Party floor leader Kwon Seong-dong is currently in the Philippines as a special envoy until the 1st, leaving the National Assembly empty, and negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties on the formation of the National Assembly have effectively come to a halt. Although there have been talks that if there is willingness to negotiate, methods such as video conferences could be possible, there are currently no such movements.
When asked if there is absolutely no contact or connection via text messages or online, Senior Deputy Jin replied, "Yes." Regarding working-level negotiations with Song Eon-seok, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, he said, "I don't know if full authority was delegated, but there has been no contact between the senior deputy floor leaders."
Regarding personnel hearings, he explained that there is a way to form a special committee for personnel hearings to proceed with urgent hearings first.
He said, "Even if the standing committees are not formed, a special committee for personnel hearings can be formed to proceed with urgent hearings," adding, "Once the Speaker of the National Assembly is elected, negotiations on the formation of standing committees should begin, but if an immediate agreement is not reached, we plan to negotiate with the ruling party on forming a special committee for personnel hearings and proceeding with the hearings."
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