野 "Government and ruling party desperate but lack will to resolve... Bill submission needed"
與 "Democratic Party has become a subcontractor of Minnocho... Parliamentary rampage must stop"
[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 2nd, the Democratic Party of Korea held a Transportation Bill Review Subcommittee meeting of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and unilaterally submitted a bill to extend the sunset clause of the Safe Freight Rate System. The People Power Party opposed this as a “Democratic Party’s parliamentary violence” and boycotted the meeting, leading to a heated argument filled with loud voices in the meeting room.
As the government is taking a strong stance of ‘complete abolition’ on the Safe Freight Rate System, which triggered the Cargo Solidarity strike, the opposition party appears to be siding with the Cargo Solidarity in a standoff against the government and ruling party.
On the 2nd, the Transportation Bill Review Subcommittee of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, chaired by Democratic Party lawmaker Choi In-ho (subcommittee chair), held a bill subcommittee meeting and unilaterally submitted the partial amendment bill to the Freight Motor Vehicle Transport Business Act (proposed by lawmaker Jo O-seop) by the opposition party.
At the meeting, Democratic Party members including Subcommittee Chair Choi In-ho, Maeng Seong-gyu, Min Hong-chul, Lee So-young, Han Jun-ho, and Hong Ki-won attended. People Power Party lawmakers Kang Dae-sik, Park Jeong-ha, Seo Il-jun, and Jeong Dong-man, members of the Transportation Subcommittee, boycotted the meeting in protest.
Before the meeting, Kim Jeong-jae, the People Power Party’s floor leader in the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, came to the meeting room and strongly protested the Democratic Party’s unilateral subcommittee meeting, causing a commotion.
Lawmaker Kim said, “The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is holding a strike by taking the public hostage, but the Democratic Party unilaterally holding a meeting is unacceptable. Why should we play a supporting role while they do whatever they want with the bill? This meeting is null and void.” He added, “The People Power Party cannot recognize today’s meeting. If we start accepting unilateral meetings, the Democratic Party’s reckless and violent behavior will continue.” Kim also directly criticized, “The meeting was held without agreeing on the agenda, and the budget was also unilaterally passed by the Democratic Party. Is the Democratic Party a subcontractor of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions?”
In response, Democratic Party members of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee immediately pushed back. Democratic Party lawmaker Han Jun-ho said, “The ruling party must take responsibility. The sunset clause is approaching soon, so when will this bill be discussed?” and added, “Calling us a subcontractor of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is inappropriate. Please watch your words.” In response, lawmaker Kim said, “The Democratic Party must stop its parliamentary violence,” and Democratic Party lawmaker Lee So-young, a member of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, retorted, “Isn’t it the ruling party’s job to work? As the ruling party, not attending the bill discussion is utterly irresponsible,” leading to loud exchanges.
Subcommittee Chair Choi In-ho stated, “The Safe Freight Rate System was temporarily implemented for three years from 2018 until the end of this year. Since today, December 2nd, is less than a month before the sunset, there is less than two weeks left to process the bill.” He added, “This is a critical time for bill deliberation, so today’s Transportation Bill Review Subcommittee must discuss this bill. The government should open a breakthrough in negotiations directly, but the government and ruling party are not showing such a stance. In that situation, the ruling party floor leader left the meeting, which is disappointing and irresponsible.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the relevant department, did not attend the bill subcommittee meeting that day, so the subcommittee passed a motion requesting their attendance at the December 9th bill subcommittee meeting to request agenda items. Even if the bill is passed through the Transportation Subcommittee’s deliberation, the procedures of the plenary session, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and the plenary session remain.
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