Yoon Jae-ok: "Let's Make the National Assembly Work... Urging Lee Jae-myung to Stop Fasting and Return to Parliamentary Politics"

On the Opening Day of the Regular National Assembly
Selected Key Bills in Four Focus Areas
"Let's Be Evaluated by the People with Fair and Square Competence"

Yoon Jae-ok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the opening day of the regular session on the 1st, "We must show the public a working National Assembly," and added, "We have selected key bills to be promoted during this regular session across four areas: public stability, future preparedness, social reform, and economic livelihood."

With the general election just over seven months away, this regular session, which has begun, serves as a preliminary battle, with a high possibility of confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties during the audit, budget review, and standing committee meetings. This is why Floor Leader Yoon specifically urged lawmakers to focus on pushing bills during the meeting. The regular session will continue for 100 days until December 9.

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Floor Leader Yoon said, "I propose to the Democratic Party that during the regular session, the ruling and opposition parties compete to create better legislation for the people, so that in the next general election, they can be fairly evaluated by the public based on their capabilities."

Specifically, he presented ▲ prioritizing legislation for public livelihood ▲ removing obstacles to corporate competitiveness ▲ rejecting populism and providing strong support for socially vulnerable groups ▲ establishing institutional measures to improve the political culture of conflict and confrontation ▲ devising countermeasures for social pathological phenomena such as suicide and drug abuse ▲ completing the three major reforms (labor, education, pension) ▲ and attracting the Busan Expo.

Floor Leader Yoon said, "The Democratic Party is expected to accelerate its reckless behavior, including one special prosecutor and four national investigations, agitation over Fukushima contaminated water treatment, and unilateral operation of the National Assembly, to cover up the party’s judicial risks," adding, "The Democratic Party has already passed the Itaewon Special Act unilaterally in the Administrative Safety Committee, and several other standing committees are already in disarray." He emphasized, "I earnestly appeal that this regular session is not the time for the ruling and opposition parties to be engrossed in fights when there are many bills to be processed."

He cited examples such as the 'Disaster and Safety Management Basic Act,' 'Space Aviation Agency Establishment Act,' 'National Finance Act,' 'Serious Accident Punishment Act,' and 'Special Act on Protected Birth,' saying, "These are bills that the ruling and opposition parties share common interest in or are within a range where differences can be sufficiently coordinated. I propose that the Democratic Party negotiate day and night over the next 100 days to reach an agreement."

Representative Lee Jae-myung, Floor Leader Park Kwang-on, and other members of the Democratic Party of Korea are shouting slogans at the 'Emergency Action Report on Fukushima Nuclear Wastewater Ocean Dumping' held at the National Assembly Rotunda Hall on the 1st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Regarding Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader’s hunger strike, he criticized, "Why is he suddenly pretending to be a victim and going on an indefinite hunger strike just before the regular session, after flaunting his absolute power inside and outside the National Assembly?" He added, "Lee’s hunger strike can only be seen as a hunger strike to avoid judicial processing, to block internal conflicts over the arrest motion, and to secure party leadership. It is an abandonment of the legislative responsibility to protect public livelihood for the leader of the main opposition party to go on a hunger strike without any justification before the regular session."

He continued, "Does the Democratic Party feel relieved only if the 21st National Assembly, which has repeatedly experienced all kinds of disruptions and reckless behavior, is ruined until the very last moment?" and urged, "The Democratic Party should immediately stop the leader’s hunger strike and return to parliamentary politics."