Igaeho: "Operate the 2+2 Consultative Body Substantively"
Ruling Party's Livelihood Bills Detached from Ordinary People's Economy
Processing Regional Love Gift Certificate Activation Act, Small Business 3 Acts, etc.
The People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea have agreed to form a '2+2 consultative body' consisting of the floor leaders and policy chiefs of each party to handle pending livelihood bills in the National Assembly. However, the Democratic Party expressed dissent regarding the key bills demanded by the People Power Party, calling them "'People Power Party-style livelihood bills' rather than genuine livelihood bills."
On the 5th, Lee Gae-ho, policy chief of the Democratic Party, pointed out at a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly, "The livelihood bills that the People Power Party intends to process, as confirmed through the media, seem somewhat strange."
The ruling and opposition parties formed a 2+2 consultative body composed of the policy chiefs and senior deputy floor leaders of both parties the day before to discuss various livelihood bills. The consultative body is expected to discuss the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the Special Act on First-Phase New Towns, the Act on Promotion of Corporate Restructuring, the Special Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Space Aviation Agency, and the Act on Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperatives. However, the Democratic Party pointed out that these bills are far from addressing the difficult livelihood economy.
Lee said, "Yesterday, both parties agreed to form a 2+2 consultative body to handle major livelihood bills," adding, "As the policy chief participating in the consultative body, I propose that the People Power Party promptly activate it as promised to process livelihood bills." He continued, "(However) the livelihood bills that the People Power Party intends to process include the extension of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act period, the Special Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Space Aviation Agency, and the Act on Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperatives, which are more 'People Power Party-style livelihood bills' needed by the ruling party rather than genuine livelihood bills."
He further stated, "The Democratic Party will process genuine livelihood bills to solve the difficult livelihood economy," emphasizing, "We will urgently process livelihood bills such as the Banking Act, which strengthens the right to request interest rate reductions and prohibits banks from passing legal costs onto financial consumers, the Act on Activation of Local Love Gift Certificates supporting the issuance of local currency, and the Three Small Business Acts to protect people's lives and revitalize the livelihood economy."
Along with this, he announced plans to expand public healthcare through the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the National Public Medical and Health University and the Act on Training Regional Doctors, and to promptly discuss the Special Act on Jeonse Fraud Relief to aid victims of jeonse (long-term lease) fraud.
Lee added, "Furthermore, the 2+2 consultative body will be operated substantively so that many livelihood bills proposed by the Democratic Party so far can yield results," and urged the ruling party, "The Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which has been obstructing the processing of livelihood bills at every turn, must be normalized first."
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party plans to announce on the 6th the second general election pledge of party leader Lee Jae-myung, titled 'Neighborhood Elementary Care.' The first pledge was 'Coverage of Nursing Hospital Care Costs.'
Lee said, "Tomorrow, the Democratic Party will visit educational sites with party leader Lee Jae-myung," adding, "Based on systematic education, we will announce the pledge for neighborhood elementary care, where the state, local governments, and education offices take the lead to raise our children together."
He noted, "In the first half of this year, Neulbom School was piloted in 214 schools across five education offices, but among the total 1.19 million elementary students in the area, only 6,000 used it," adding, "Many media outlets have pointed out that there are many areas to improve before full expansion, but the government announced the early promotion of Neulbom School last weekend. They are pushing forward like a speed race without solving any of the numerous pointed-out problems, which is truly serious."
He continued, "The overburden on teachers, the operation of care school programs, and the lack of care spaces within schools have been continuously pointed out as reasons for Neulbom School's failure," adding, "Despite these piled-up problems, the government, like with the integration of kindergartens and daycare centers, has shifted the elementary care issue to education offices to handle on their own and has announced plans to proceed. The Democratic Party will normalize our public education and realize the national responsibility system for care through neighborhood elementary care."
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