The Ruling Party Returns to Standing Committee: "We Could Not Just Stand By as Geo-ya Ran Amok"

"Speaker Woo, Operate Without Watching Lee Jae-myung's Moves"
"Democratic Party's Control of Legislation and Steering Committees Caused Disruption"

The People Power Party explained that they ended their boycott of the National Assembly by accepting the seven standing committee chair positions because "they could not just stand by and watch the Democratic Party of Korea's reckless rampage without brakes."

Jeong Jeom-sik, Chairman of the Policy Committee of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 25th, Jeong Jeom-sik, the Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, presided over a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly and said, "Our party held a party meeting yesterday and made a magnanimous decision to take on seven standing committee chair positions." He added, "Although we are numerically in the minority, it is our duty to the people to fight, especially by entering the standing committees to oppose the outrageous acts." He emphasized, "It is clear that the root cause of the National Assembly's organizational deadlock was the Democratic Party's insistence on taking the chairmanships of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Steering Committee."

Jeong, the Policy Committee Chair, said, "Although the distribution of standing committee chair positions was forced by the Democratic Party, there must be no more legislative dictatorship," warning, "If they continue their unilateral rampage, they will face a public backlash." Bae Jun-young, the Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the People Power Party, said, "The Democratic Party, which took 11 key standing committee chair positions, showed arrogance and violence for 47 days." He added, "The schedules for the standing committees proceeding today are not agreed upon. However, our People Power Party will attend all the standing committees held today as a sign of the beginning of the normalization of the National Assembly." The People Power Party plans to hold a party meeting on the 27th to elect standing committee chairs and the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, thereby completing the organization of the Assembly.

The People Power Party also emphasized the responsibility of Speaker Woo Won-sik in the negotiation of the Assembly’s organization. Sung Il-jong, the Secretary-General of the People Power Party, said at the meeting, "Yesterday, our party accepted the seven standing committee chair positions with a heart bleeding with pain. We simply could not watch the Democratic Party’s dictatorship and rampage with their armbands on." He added, "Who led this kind of National Assembly operation? It was Speaker Woo, who did not raise a single voice of concern even as democratic procedures of the Assembly collapsed and proud customs were broken."

Sung criticized, "Speaker Woo said yesterday that standing in the middle between the ruling and opposition parties is not neutrality and that distribution according to the number of seats is fair." He pointed out, "He broke the checks and balances between the ruling and opposition parties created by his predecessors. It was a statement that denied the very reason for the existence of the Speaker." He continued, "Then why do we need the Speaker? Woo, a five-term lawmaker, knows better than anyone that following the numbers is not the spirit of the National Assembly Act." Sung also said, "He has become a Speaker who cannot even utter a sharp word when seeing the Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chair playing dictator with his armband." He added, "I hope he runs the Assembly like a proper Speaker, not just watching his back to Representative Lee Jae-myung."