Gyeoye, Omnidirectional Legislative Domination... 116 Bills Possible for Direct Referral to the Plenary Session

116 Bills Pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for Over 60 Days
Democrats Narrow 6-Month-Old Bills to 28 for Priority Processing
Opposition "Speed Up Livelihood Bill Processing" vs Ruling Party "Parliamentary Violence"

[Asia Economy Reporters O Ju-yeon and Kim Young-won] The Democratic Party of Korea has bypassed the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee (LJC) and directly referred key bills such as the Grain Management Act and the Nursing Act to the plenary session, raising expectations that other bills long pending in the LJC may also be directly referred to the plenary session in the future.

The People Power Party strongly opposes this move, calling it 'legislative dictatorship' by the ruling party, but the Democratic Party insists that pending bills must be promptly processed amid partisan conflicts, making it highly likely that additional bills will be directly referred to the plenary session.

According to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Legislative Information System as of the 11th, a total of 116 bills have been pending in the LJC for more than 60 days. Among these, the Democratic Party classifies bills pending for over six months as long-term pending bills and is prioritizing them for direct referral to the plenary session.

A Democratic Party policy office official said, "Other bills pending in the LJC will also be directly referred to the plenary session depending on the situation of each standing committee and the urgency of bill processing," adding, "Bills pending for more than six months will be directly referred (to the plenary session) for now." This indicates that, in addition to the Grain Management Act and the Nursing Act, more bills will be directly referred to the plenary session. He added, "However, since it varies by standing committee, it is necessary to adjust the pace for each bill." For example, the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee attempted to directly refer the 'Broadcasting Act Amendment' to the plenary session, but the proposal was scrapped after independent lawmaker Park Wan-joo suggested bipartisan negotiations.

Among the bills pending in the LJC for more than 60 days, five bills?including the 'Amendment to the Promotion of the Animation Industry Act,' which restricts unfair contracts for animation industry workers, and the 'Amendment to the Military Personnel Act,' which includes provisions for salary reductions upon dismissal from post?have been pending for well over two years. Additionally, there are 16 bills pending for one to two years, such as the 'Amendment to the Exclusive Economic Zone Foreign Fishing Act,' which allows judicial police officers to board, search, and seize illegal vessels without prosecutor supervision; the 'Amendment to the Nuclear Promotion Act,' which strengthens social responsibility investments of the nuclear fund; and the 'Amendment to the Real Estate Investment Company Act,' which deals with changes in balance sheet terminology. The remaining 95 bills were submitted since April last year but have not yet been processed and are less than one year old. Assuming the Democratic Party's criterion for direct referral is bills pending for six months or more, the total number of target bills narrows down to about 28.

The Democratic Party justifies the direct referral to the plenary session based on the National Assembly Act. According to Article 86 of the National Assembly Act, bills reviewed by standing committees are referred to the LJC for examination. However, if the LJC does not complete its review within 60 days, the chairperson of the relevant standing committee may, after consulting with the committee's floor leader, submit the bill to the plenary session. If no agreement is reached, a secret ballot vote is held on whether to submit the bill to the plenary session, and if three-fifths or more of the standing committee members approve, it is possible. For example, the Nursing Act, which was directly referred to the plenary session from the Health and Welfare Committee, was approved with 16 votes in favor, 7 against, and 1 invalid out of 14 Democratic Party members, 9 People Power Party members, and 1 Justice Party member.

The Nursing Act separates regulations concerning nurses from the Medical Service Act and defines the scope of nurses' duties, securing appropriate working hours and the right to demand improved treatment. It passed the Health and Welfare Committee plenary session in May last year and was referred to the LJC subcommittee but has since been long pending without progress. Consequently, on the 9th, the Health and Welfare Committee directly referred seven bills, including the Nursing Act, the Infectious Disease Prevention Act amendment, and the National Health Insurance Act amendment, to the plenary session. Besides the Nursing Act, the Grain Management Act amendment was also directly referred to the plenary session this year without going through the LJC. The Democratic Party intends to continue directly referring bills to the plenary session, focusing on urgent livelihood-related bills.

However, the People Power Party strongly opposes this forced direct referral, calling it a 'tyranny.' Floor leader Joo Ho-young criticized at the current affairs inspection meeting on the 10th, saying, "It is an attempt to neutralize and render the LJC a mere puppet," and added, "The Democratic Party seems to be using any means necessary. They do not seem to reject anything to achieve their goals." People Power Party members of the LJC also stated in a press release, "The Democratic Party's legislative dictatorship, which thoroughly ignores the spirit of National Assembly consensus, will face stern judgment from the public." After issuing the statement, ruling party LJC floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik told reporters, "Directly referring bills that require adjustment like this denies the very existence of the National Assembly," and added, "If the Democratic Party pushes ahead with bill processing, I think the President may consider exercising the veto power."