'Unconstitutional Election Law' Legislative Gap on First Day
Seoul Gangseo-gu Banners in a Game of Wits
Residents "Uncomfortable with Provocative Banners... Hope They Are Cleaned Up Properly"
"I had no idea that the regulations on election-related banners would change starting today. Balsan Station intersection in this area is a popular spot where many banners are usually hung, but recently, it seems there hasn't been much change in the number of banners."
(Lee, a resident of Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul)
The scene of a political party banner hanging on a crosswalk in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 1st. Photo by Ryu Taemin
On the afternoon of the 1st, the reporter visited the areas around Balsan Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 and Gayang Station on Line 9, where about 10 party banners were displayed. Due to the 'legislative gap' in the National Assembly, the provisions banning election banners, posters, and printed materials lost their effect starting that day, raising concerns about a proliferation of banners. However, the situation remained similar to usual so far.
It was also difficult to find provocative phrases. The ruling party's banners read, "We will do our best for flood recovery," and the Democratic Party mostly displayed policy-related messages such as "A debt-free Korea, made by the Democratic Party," and "Let's go! 35 trillion won for the people's supplementary budget."
However, some citizens expressed dissatisfaction with critical banners from minor parties. Lee (44), a resident of Magok-dong, said, "There were quite a few times when election banners were full of provocative content, which made me uncomfortable," adding, "I hope these banners will be removed now so that the streets can look cleaner." Especially, as analyses suggest that parties are still engaged in a 'game of nerves,' there are growing concerns among citizens that election-related banners will flood the streets in the future.
Ruling and Opposition Parties Fail to Narrow Differences, Bill Fails to Pass... Election Banners in 'Legislative Gap' Status
The Constitutional Court last year ruled certain provisions of the election law unconstitutional and set a deadline for revision by July 31 this year. The ban on installing banners and other advertisements 180 days before elections was deemed an excessive restriction on political expression.
However, as the ruling and opposition parties failed to reach an agreement and the revision bill was not passed, a legislative gap emerged, allowing anyone to put up election banners and distribute leaflets at any time until the related provisions are amended. The Legislation and Judiciary Committee conducted a systematic and textual review of the Public Official Election Act revision bill on the 17th and 27th of last month but failed to complete the review due to disagreements among lawmakers.
In particular, Gangseo-gu is a region with significant concerns about banner proliferation ahead of the Gangseo District Mayor by-election scheduled for October. Since it is the only metropolitan area by-election before the 22nd National Assembly general election next year, it is expected that the ruling and opposition parties will fiercely compete over Gangseo-gu. All three incumbent National Assembly members from Gangseo-gu belong to the Democratic Party, considered an opposition stronghold. As a result, 13 candidates from the Democratic Party have declared their candidacy. On the other hand, since the by-election is being held due to the guilty verdict of Kim Tae-ho, the Gangseo District Mayor from the People Power Party, the ruling party has not yet finalized its nomination.
Election Law Gap Sparks Tensions... Opposition Blames "People Power Party," Ruling Party Calls It "False Claims"
On this day, the ruling and opposition parties engaged in sharp exchanges over the legislative gap caused by the failure to pass the Public Official Election Act revision bill. The Democratic Party claimed, "The legislative gap in the Public Official Election Act is entirely the responsibility of the People Power Party and Kim Do-eup, the chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party," while the People Power Party countered that the Democratic Party was making false claims.
Democratic Party members of the Political Reform Special Committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a press conference, stating, "We cannot help but be appalled by the shamelessness of the People Power Party, which tries to blur the essence by making it seem like both parties are responsible," and criticized, "They even ignored the Democratic Party's earnest proposal to pass even parts where there was no disagreement between the parties."
Democratic Party lawmakers urged, "Now is the time to take responsibility," and demanded, "The People Power Party must honestly acknowledge that it is entirely responsible for this grave situation of holding elections amid a legislative gap in the Public Official Election Act and apologize to the public." They also called for the revision of the Public Official Election Act and an end to Chairman Kim's overreach by August.
People Power Party lawmakers on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a separate press conference, saying, "We apologize and feel sorry for causing concern to the public by failing to process some provisions of the Public Official Election Act, which the Constitutional Court ruled unconstitutional, within the revision deadline," but also argued, "It is necessary to clarify whether the responsibility for the failure to pass the revision bill lies with Chairman Kim and the People Power Party, as the Democratic Party claims."
People Power Party lawmakers explained regarding the legislative gap, "Although the Public Official Election Act revision was not processed, even if the relevant provisions become ineffective, other regulatory provisions remain, so we believe that indiscriminate election campaigning will not occur."
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