Two 'No. 1 Bills' Adopted at Democratic Party Lawmakers' Meeting
Chaesangbyeong Special Prosecutor Act... Reintroduced Despite 21st Assembly Repeal
Livelihood Recovery Support Fund... Bill Pushed Forward Despite Yoon's Opposition
The Democratic Party of Korea introduced the first bills on livelihood and reform on the opening day of the 22nd National Assembly. They are pushing again for the 'Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong,' which was finally discarded in the 21st National Assembly, and proposing the payment of the 'National Livelihood Recovery Support Fund,' which President Yoon Seok-yeol has expressed opposition to. This is expected to prolong the deadlock between the ruling and opposition parties for the time being. The passage of the bills requires first concluding negotiations on the organization of the National Assembly, but with these contentious bills on the discussion table, timely organization may be difficult.
On the afternoon of the 30th, the Democratic Party held its first plenary meeting of the 22nd National Assembly at the National Assembly. Through this meeting, the Democratic Party decided on the 'Special Measures Act to Overcome the 2024 Livelihood Crisis' and the 'Special Prosecutor Appointment Act for Investigating Obstruction and Concealment of the Death of a Marine (Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act)' as the 'No. 1 Livelihood and Reform Party Bills' of the 22nd National Assembly. Kim Yong-min, the party's chief policy secretary, and Min Byung-duk, the senior deputy chairman of the Policy Committee, submitted the two bills to the National Assembly's legislative affairs office as party bills.
On the first day of the 22nd National Assembly session on the 30th, Min Byeong-dae (left) and Kim Yong-min, members of the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted the party's first bill, the "Marine Corps Special Prosecutor Act and Special Measures for the Livelihood Crisis Act," at the National Assembly Bill Office. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Chief Kim Yong-min stated, "The Democratic Party promised to reintroduce the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act in the 22nd National Assembly and ensure its passage," adding, "To keep that promise, we have introduced it as the No. 1 reform bill." He explained, "The method of recommending the special prosecutor was changed from the Korea Bar Association recommending four candidates and the Democratic Party selecting two, to the Democratic Party recommending one candidate without the Bar Association's recommendation, and the non-negotiating opposition parties agreeing to recommend one candidate." When asked by a reporter whether the ruling party would be less likely to accept the bill without the legal community's filtering process, Chief Kim replied, "Since the opposition parties can sufficiently reach consensus and resolve controversies, we thought it unnecessary to have a dual recommendation process, so we changed it."
The People Power Party immediately expressed opposition. Jang Dong-hyuk, the party's chief floor spokesperson, said during a workshop held in Cheonan, Chungnam, "Representative Lee Jae-myung talks about livelihood on the surface, but behind the scenes, I think he is continuously preparing various measures for self-protection," adding, "I have already said that the existing Special Prosecutor Act has constitutional issues, and I think these issues will become even greater." Lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said, "There are procedural problems legally," and added, "Let's wait and see the investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials."
On the afternoon of the 30th, the deputy floor representatives composed of first-term lawmakers are greeting at the 22nd National Assembly People Power Party workshop held at the Talent Education Training Center in Cheonan, Chungnam. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Democratic Party also pressured the People Power Party regarding the organization of the National Assembly, as the standing committees must be formed to discuss the submitted bills. Woo Won-sik, the Democratic Party candidate for the 22nd National Assembly Speaker, stated in a press release, "I hope the spirit of the National Assembly Act will be upheld from the agreement on the organization," emphasizing, "We will continue dialogue until the end, but if no agreement is reached, the National Assembly Act must be followed." Floor leader Park Chan-dae also urged at the plenary meeting, "Let's conduct informal talks between chiefs for swift organization negotiations," and "Please promptly deliver the ruling party's proposal for the distribution of standing committee chairmanships, which has been requested multiple times."
The Democratic Party has announced its intention to complete the organization of the National Assembly by June 7, according to the National Assembly Act. This is interpreted as an effort to prevent the People Power Party from delaying negotiations by opposing the bills. Democratic Party floor spokesperson Noh Jong-myeon said at a press conference before the plenary meeting, when asked if there was a possibility of delaying the organization to block the Special Prosecutor Act, "That could happen," but added, "What is clear is that the Democratic Party has no intention of falling for such delay tactics."
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