Jinpyo Kim: "Let's Create an Election Law Agreement by the End of June"

Request for the 75th National Assembly Opening Ceremony

Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo urged on the 31st, "Let us all work together so that the ruling and opposition parties can create an agreement on the election law by the first half of next month at the latest."

At the 75th National Assembly Opening Ceremony held at the National Assembly that day, Speaker Kim said, "South Korea is now on the verge of fully entering the ranks of advanced countries. From now on, our competitors are the world’s top-tier countries," adding, "To compete and win against them, a new national strategy and political system that allow each citizen to freely demonstrate creativity and diversity are urgently needed. An electoral system that elects diverse talents as representatives of the people is also essential."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He mentioned, "Our National Assembly is actively promoting political reform through the restructuring of the electoral system," and added, "For the first time in 20 years, a historic plenary committee was convened, where 100 members of the National Assembly engaged in heated debates over the electoral system reform plan. For the first time in the history of global democracy, a '500-person National Representative Assembly' was formed, and a deliberative public opinion survey was conducted for electoral system reform."

Speaker Kim said, "Now is the moment to fasten the last button and reap the fruits," emphasizing, "Good plows can only be made by hammering iron while it is hot. Let us not miss the opportunity for political reform, which was hard to prepare, with a mindset that prioritizes the interests of the people over partisan gains."

He also called for an improvement in the level of politics. He said, "The fundamental criterion that divides a country's fate into advanced or developing is the level of democracy in that country, in other words, the level of politics," and added, "The level of democracy in a country ultimately depends on the culture of debate and the quality of legislative activities in the National Assembly, which is the hall of the people's will." Speaker Kim concluded, "Seventy-five years ago, our National Assembly was inaugurated amid the enthusiastic cheers of the people. Let us all gathered here join forces so that the Assembly can take the lead in solving pressing national issues and be recognized for leading 'capable democracy.'"

However, regarding the Nursing Act, which was passed the previous day under opposition party leadership but was returned to the National Assembly after President Yoon Seok-yeol exercised his veto power and was subsequently rejected in a re-vote, Speaker Kim expressed regret, stating, "Despite several requests for the ruling and opposition parties to make concessions step by step and prepare a compromise on the Nursing Act, it is very regrettable that the bill was repeatedly rejected after reconsideration due to political confrontation."