Opposition Party Has No Allies... Will the Giant Opposition Take Control of Standing Committees?

Democrats Target Not Only National Assembly Speaker but Also Judiciary Committee Chair
Opposition May Amend Government Legislation and Budget
People Power Party Preoccupied with Forming New Leadership

With the Democratic Party of Korea securing a majority of seats on its own in the 22nd general election, there are expectations that it will also aim for the position of the Chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to take control of the National Assembly's operations. Analysts suggest that if the opposition secures even the Chairperson position of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which reviews bills in various standing committees, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration will inevitably face serious setbacks in governance for the remainder of its term.

According to the National Assembly on the 16th, the opposition bloc, including the Democratic Party, holds a maximum of 192 seats in this general election. This includes 175 seats for the Democratic Party, 12 for the Party for National Innovation, 3 for the Reform Party, and 1 each for the New Future Party and the Progressive Party. The opposition bloc can designate all bills, except for constitutional amendments and presidential impeachment which require two-thirds of the total members of the National Assembly, as fast-track bills and submit them to the plenary session. They can also amend legislation and budgets proposed by the government and ruling party.

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at a meeting of lawmakers elected for four or more terms held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The opposition bloc is particularly aiming not only for the position of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the second highest-ranking state official, but also for the Chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Traditionally, the largest party in the assembly holds the Speaker position, while the second largest party holds the Chairpersonship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to maintain a balance of power. This practice continued from the latter half of the 15th National Assembly through the 20th National Assembly, but in the early 21st National Assembly, the Democratic Party took both positions.

The reason the opposition demands the Chairpersonship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee is because it holds the authority to review the system and wording of various bills. The Chairperson has traditionally played a minimal check on the legislation of the largest party. If the opposition gains this position as well, it can secure a definite leadership within the National Assembly. The passage of special prosecutor laws such as the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Law' and the 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Law' at the plenary session on the 2nd of next month will also become easier.

The Democratic Party has already started warming up efforts to secure the Chairpersonship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. On the morning of the same day, Go Min-jung, a Supreme Council member, said on MBC radio in response to the question, "Should the opposition also have the Chairpersonship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee?" that "I think they should. What was the result of giving up the Legislation and Judiciary Committee in the 21st National Assembly? All bills were blocked, cooperation disappeared, and conflicts were maximized." Im Oh-kyung, the floor spokesperson, also told reporters, "Right now, the government is going one-way, so out of concern for this, my personal opinion is that there will be no concession of the Chairpersonship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee in the 22nd National Assembly."

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The problem from the ruling party's perspective is that there are no allies to block this. The People Power Party is overwhelmed with discussions about forming the next leadership after the election defeat and has no room to focus on securing standing committees. The Reform Party, which advocates itself as an alternative conservative party, also emphasizes its opposition bloc identity and supports the special prosecutor laws, making it difficult for the People Power Party to block future opposition legislation and special prosecutor proceedings.

Experts also predominantly believe that the minority ruling party and majority opposition situation will become more entrenched in the 22nd National Assembly. Shin Yul, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Myongji University, pointed out that "Delayed justice is not justice, and delayed resolution is not resolution," criticizing the government's failure in governance as the reason for the emergence of a large opposition party in the 22nd National Assembly. Professor Shin predicted, "There is practically no way for the ruling party to gain leadership immediately," and added, "It cannot be ruled out that the National Assembly will become chaotic next month regarding the Chae Sang-byeong and Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor laws."