Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over March Extraordinary Session Start Date: "1st" vs "6th"

Minju: "According to the National Assembly Act, from March 1"
People Power Party: "No problem processing bills even if it opens on the 6th or 13th"

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Park Jun-i] The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party have engaged in a power struggle over the start date of the March extraordinary session of the National Assembly. The Democratic Party insists on starting the March session immediately from the 1st, while the People Power Party countered that unless it is to hold an 'Lee Jae-myung shield session,' there is no need to convene on the holiday of March 1st and suggested holding it on the 6th instead.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 22nd, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, and Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, met at 11 a.m. at the National Assembly, presided over by Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. The meeting was held to discuss the election system reform plan to be applied in next year's general election, the passage of the Grain Management Act, and the convening of the March extraordinary session.

After about an hour-long meeting, Floor Leader Park told reporters, "We exchanged opinions regarding the March extraordinary session, but the Democratic Party insists on holding it on March 1st as stipulated in the National Assembly Act, while the People Power Party prefers to start from the 6th. We confirmed this difference in position."

The Democratic Party is advocating for convening the March extraordinary session, citing the 'Working National Assembly Act.' Previously, floor spokesperson Oh Young-hwan said, "The convening of the March extraordinary session is specified in the Working National Assembly Act, including the annual National Assembly schedule dates," and added, "We will proceed on March 1st according to the National Assembly Act." He continued, "Even aside from legal provisions, given the current heating cost crisis, high inflation, and hardships faced by the public, the National Assembly must fulfill its role in handling numerous livelihood bills. Except for 2015 during former President Park Geun-hye's administration, the March session was convened every year, and during former President Moon Jae-in's administration, excluding the 2020 general election, the March session was naturally held every year," emphasizing this point.

He also criticized, "The People Power Party is attempting to maliciously frame the Democratic Party as demanding an extraordinary session that is unnecessary, as if they are conscious of the arrest warrant for Representative Lee Jae-myung."

However, the People Power Party explained that unless the Democratic Party intends to hold an 'Lee Jae-myung shield session,' there is no reason to start the session on the holiday of March 1st.

On the same day, before the meeting presided over by the Speaker, Floor Leader Joo told reporters, "If the Democratic Party wants to claim that the March extraordinary session is not a shield session for Lee Jae-myung, they can refrain from convening the session for a few days."

He said, "From our perspective, the Democratic Party is holding a shield session. Moreover, March 1st is Samiljeol, a day to honor the patriotic martyrs, and it falls on a Sunday. Holding the National Assembly on a holiday means they intend to shield without any gaps," he pointedly remarked.

He emphasized, "There is no problem in processing bills even if the session starts on March 6th or 13th."

The ruling and opposition parties are expected to continue discussions regarding the schedule of the extraordinary session plenary meetings.

After the meeting presided over by the Speaker, Floor Leader Park told reporters, "The other side (People Power Party) is not opposed to holding the plenary session, so the chief negotiators of both parties need to discuss further."