野 "Political Strife Over Farmers' Right to Survival" vs Kim Do-eup "Audacity Beyond Limits" (Summary)

Noh "Chairman of the Legislative Committee Abuses Power"
Ruling Party "Rice Purchased Mandatorily with Taxpayer Money Used as Animal Feed"

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Juni Park] The ruling and opposition parties clashed once again on the 31st over the National Assembly’s passage of the Grain Management Act. When the Democratic Party criticized the People’s Party for walking out en masse during the process of submitting the Grain Management Act amendment bill to the plenary session, accusing them of "playing politics with a law that concerns farmers’ livelihoods," Kim Do-eup, chairman of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee and a member of the People Power Party, responded by saying, "There is a limit even to impudence."

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, criticized at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 31st, saying, "They are a sunflower party that only looks to President Yoon’s favor, but they are neglecting the responsibilities of the National Assembly," and added, "We cannot overlook the abuse of power by the chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee."

Last October, the Democratic Party passed the amendment bill unilaterally in the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee despite opposition from the People Power Party. However, as the processing of the amendment bill was delayed for more than two months in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, chaired by the People Power Party, the Democratic Party again passed a resolution on December 28 last year to directly submit the amendment bill to the plenary session. In response, Chairman Kim submitted the bill to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee subcommittee to block its passage in the plenary session, but the Democratic Party passed the submission bill through a vote in the plenary session the day before.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Floor leader Park said, "We cannot overlook the abuse of power by the chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee," adding, "We hear the desperate cries of the people on the brink, but the ruling party is attempting an untimely legislative kidnapping by holding livelihood bills hostage." He further pointed out, "Even now, Chairman Kim Do-eup of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee must apologize for the abuse of authority and promise to restore normal operations of the committee and prevent recurrence."

However, Kim Do-eup, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee (People Power Party), rebutted by saying, "There is a limit even to impudence."

Kim’s side explained, "Regarding the Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting on January 16, the Democratic Party stated that the committee could only be held after resolving three demands: restoring the bills referred to the second subcommittee after the Democratic Party’s walkout to their original status, promising to prevent recurrence, and an apology from the chairman. The Democratic Party’s demands were unreasonable, and as a result of their obstinacy, the committee meeting yesterday failed to take place, and 68 livelihood bills were not processed again, following January 16."

Kim Do-eup, Chairman of the National Assembly Judiciary Committee, is talking with Ki Dong-min, the Democratic Party of Korea's secretary, and Jeong Jeom-sik, the People Power Party's secretary, before the start of the audit at the National Assembly's inspection of the Ministry of Justice on the 24th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

They added, "There was no problem with the full committee’s submission of the partial amendment to the Grain Management Act under the National Assembly Act, and the referral of the partial amendment to the second subcommittee was not done by the chairman’s authority but was requested by committee members for in-depth discussion and accepted accordingly. The real party who should apologize is not the chairman who conducted the meeting properly according to the National Assembly Act, but the Democratic Party committee members who disrupted the committee."

They continued, "We want to ask the Democratic Party whether it is truly desirable to unilaterally process problematic bills without in-depth discussion in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. If our citizens knew that a significant amount of rice, which was compulsorily purchased with taxpayers’ money, would have to be used as animal feed, would the Democratic Party be forgiven? The chairman’s position is to have in-depth discussions to correct this."