Ruling and Opposition Parties Unite on 'Climate Crisis'... "Let's Create a Special Committee with Authority over Bills and Budget Deliberations"

Joint Press Conference of 22nd National Assembly Party Elected Members
"Ruling and Opposition Floor Leaders Must Negotiate to Establish Immediately Upon Opening"

Lawmakers elected from parliamentary parties in the 22nd National Assembly urged the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties to establish a permanent “National Assembly Special Committee on the Climate Crisis (Climate Special Committee)” immediately upon the opening of the assembly. They also proposed granting the special committee the authority to review bills and approve budgets to enable the National Assembly to respond effectively to the climate crisis.

On the 10th, elected members from parliamentary parties of the 22nd National Assembly gathered at the National Assembly for a joint press conference. Attending the press conference were Cheon Ha-ram of the Reform New Party, Kim So-hee and Kim Yong-tae of the People Power Party, Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party, Park Ji-hye and Lee So-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, Han Chang-min of the Social Democratic Party, Kim Jong-min of the New Future Party, Seo Wang-jin of the Innovation for the Nation Party, and Yoon Jong-oh of the Progressive Party, representing all parliamentary parties elected to the 22nd National Assembly.

Baek Jae-hyun, Secretary General of the National Assembly (third from the left), Kim Jeong-ho, Chairman of the National Assembly Special Committee on Climate Crisis (fourth from the left), and other guests are unveiling the Climate Crisis Clock at the National Assembly Hydrogen Charging Station in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 22nd. The Climate Crisis Clock indicates the remaining time until the Earth's temperature rises by 1.5℃. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Through the joint press conference, they stated, “The new National Assembly should no longer hesitate but urgently respond to the climate crisis and boldly implement greenhouse gas reduction policies,” and “We urge the establishment of a permanent Climate Special Committee.” During the general election, both the Democratic Party and the People Power Party proposed the establishment of a permanent Climate Special Committee as part of their pledges. Regarding this, the elected members said, “The proposal to establish a permanent Climate Special Committee to continuously discuss and devise solutions for the climate crisis indicates that there is no partisan disagreement on this matter,” and urged, “We must keep that promise.”

Furthermore, unlike the existing Climate Special Committee, which only receives reports from the government and others, they demanded that the committee be granted substantive authority. They said, “It should not be a nominal committee that only discusses issues without reaching conclusions, but must have the authority to reflect the committee’s discussion results in laws and budgets to fulfill its proper role,” adding, “Granting real deliberative powers such as legislative and budgetary authority must accompany this.”

The elected members introduced that “many foreign parliaments have separate standing committees dealing with climate crisis agendas, and it is easy to find cases where these committees have the authority to review climate-related bills.” They also proposed that the Climate Special Committee handle the Climate Response Fund currently under the Planning and Finance Committee. This is to verify that the fund is properly used for greenhouse gas reduction and achieving carbon neutrality.

They requested, “We ask the floor leaders of the People Power Party and the Democratic Party to promptly negotiate so that this can be implemented immediately upon the opening of the 22nd National Assembly.”

After the press conference, elected member Lee So-young said, “Regarding the climate crisis, authority is scattered across multiple ministries, and the National Assembly’s budget review and bill deliberation powers are divided among several standing committees,” adding, “It may be more efficient for a specialized Climate Special Committee to review climate-related bills and the Climate Crisis Response Fund.”