Deadline for National Assembly Organization 'D-5'... Ruling and Opposition Parties at Odds over Judiciary and Steering Committees

Ruling Party Maintains 'Status Quo' Including Legal Affairs and Operations
Opposition Pressures Mentioning Possibility of Solo Vote
Ruling and Opposition '2+2' Negotiations This Afternoon

With the legal deadline for the formation of the 22nd National Assembly just five days away, the ruling and opposition parties have yet to find common ground, repeatedly engaging in tug-of-war negotiations. Amid ongoing conflicts over the key positions of the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Chair of the Steering Committee, the 'special prosecutor standoff' that emerged at the start of the new National Assembly is also making bipartisan compromise difficult, experts say.

On the 2nd, the People Power Party (PPP) maintained a firm stance of 'absolute defense,' insisting that the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee should go to the second-largest party in the Assembly, while the Chair of the Steering Committee should be held by the ruling party, following parliamentary precedent.

People's Power Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho (right) and Democratic Party Floor Leader Park Chan-dae are leaving their seats after answering reporters' questions following a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 27th of last month.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

They particularly argued that if the Speaker of the National Assembly is from the opposition party, the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee should be held by the ruling party to ensure balanced parliamentary operations.

Since the Democratic Party (DP), which holds a majority of seats, can effectively pass all bills alone in various standing committees, giving up the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee would leave no means to check the 'legislative rampage of the majority party.' At a press briefing in the National Assembly that day, Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho said, "It is a well-established precedent to have the Speaker and the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee belong to different parties to prevent unilateral legislative dominance by a specific party," adding, "If the Democratic Party wants to take the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, then they should hand over the Speaker position to us."

The PPP also insisted on retaining the Chair of the Steering Committee, which oversees the Presidential Office and other matters, arguing that it could be "abused as a tool for political conflict." Floor Leader Choo stated, "The distribution of standing committee chairs applied in the latter half of the 21st National Assembly is our proposal," insisting that the current distribution of 11 chairs to the Democratic Party and 7 to the People Power Party should remain unchanged.

In response, the Democratic Party also maintains that it cannot concede the Chairs of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Steering Committee to the opposition. The DP views the halting of various reform and livelihood legislations during the latter half of the 21st National Assembly, when the PPP held the Chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, as a problem and is determined to reclaim the position.

Within the party, some voices have expressed concern over the prolonged negotiations for the Assembly's formation and suggested using the Chair of the Steering Committee as a 'bargaining chip,' but the atmosphere has recently quieted down.

At a press briefing that day, Floor Leader Park Chan-dae said, "We have no intention of conceding the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Steering Committee," adding, "If the People Power Party continues to show an insincere attitude, the Democratic Party will proceed with the Assembly formation as stipulated by the National Assembly Act." This hinted at the possibility of the opposition unilaterally voting on the formation agenda on the legal deadline of the 7th.

He further mentioned, "If the People Power Party wastes time, there is a possibility that the Democratic Party could take all 18 standing committees through a vote," adding, "We hope to avoid such a situation."

For now, the floor leaders and chief deputy floor leaders of both parties are scheduled to meet later in the afternoon at a location in Seoul to continue '2+2 negotiations,' but with both sides holding parallel positions, it remains uncertain whether a sharp solution to reach an agreement will emerge.

Some speculate that, unlike the first half of the 21st National Assembly when the Democratic Party monopolized 17 standing committee chairs through a forced vote, such a scenario would be burdensome for both parties, and a compromise may be reached soon.