Joo Ho-young "Extension of Itaewon National Memorial Possible... Opposes January Extraordinary Session"

"To Avoid Misunderstanding 'Bangtan Gukhoe,' Temporary National Assembly
Should Be After Seol... No Swap Between Safe Freight Rates and Extended Working Hours,
But There Is Room for Negotiation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party, hinted at the possibility of extending the period for the Itaewon disaster parliamentary investigation on the 2nd, saying, "It is true that there is a lack of time to adopt the parliamentary investigation report after the hearing."

On the same day, Joo appeared on BBS Radio's Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal and said, "Originally, we expected to hold the hearing for about a month, but the period was shortened due to the delay in budget approval."

He added, "We plan to consult with the committee members to see if there are any additional needs and how much time is required if necessary, and then negotiate with the Democratic Party." If the ruling and opposition parties do not agree on extending the period, the special parliamentary investigation committee's activities will end on the 7th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, Joo maintained a 'no' stance on the opposition party's demand to convene a January extraordinary session of the National Assembly. He explained, "During the presidential election, Representative Lee Jae-myung said that the parliamentary immunity of lawmakers should be abolished, but realistically, once the National Assembly convenes, there is no way to give it up," adding, "If the Democratic Party wants to avoid misunderstandings about a 'bulletproof parliament,' even if they hold an extraordinary session, they can resolve such issues by celebrating Seollal (Lunar New Year)."

He also explained that there has been no progress in negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties regarding key bills such as the Safe Freight Rate System, which failed to be submitted to the plenary session on the 28th of last month and eventually expired. Joo said, "There is room for negotiation," but added, "The government said it would consider extending the Safe Freight Rate System for three years if there is no strike, but the Cargo Solidarity union went on strike, causing losses exceeding 3 trillion won. There can be no exchange of bills." It is known that the opposition proposed exchanging the extension of the Safe Freight Rate System with the ruling party's demand for an additional 8-hour extended working hours system.

Regarding the question about the absence of 'cooperation' in President Yoon Seok-yeol's New Year's address, Joo said, "To complete the three major reforms, most of them require the legislative process in the National Assembly, so it is impossible without the opposition's cooperation," and added, "(Regarding cooperation) I feel the necessity and will make such a suggestion to the President."

Meanwhile, concerning the possibility of an arrest warrant for Representative Lee, who was notified to appear before the prosecution over the 'Seongnam FC sponsorship fund suspicion,' Joo remarked, "There are reports that it is not possible to rule out the possibility someday since he is under multiple investigations, and as a legal professional, I also cannot exclude that possibility."