With "Anger at Arrogant Behavior"
Discord Throughout Standing Committees
Land Transport and Judiciary Committees Unable to Appoint Whips
The People Power Party announced on the 26th that it plans to file a complaint against Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who is serving as the chairman of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, with the National Assembly Ethics Committee.
Bae Jun-young, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, told reporters on the same day, "We cannot contain our anger at the chairman's high-handed behavior that causes frowns," expressing this stance.
Senior Deputy Leader Bae pointed out, "There was an issue of bypassing the appointment of the committee secretary in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee." He also said, "They nullified the exercise of the lawmakers' systematic review rights solely based on the fact that the professional committee member said there was no problem." At the full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee the previous day, the 'Broadcasting 3+1 Act,' which had passed the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, was on the agenda. The People Power Party requested the exercise of systematic review rights, but Chairman Jeong immediately passed the bill, saying, "The Legislation and Judiciary Committee does not have the authority to reject the content of laws from other standing committees." People Power Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee protested the Democratic Party's forced passage by walking out.
In the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, Park Min, president of KBS, who was adopted as a witness for the urgent inquiry the previous day but did not appear, was decided to be reported under the Act on Testimony and Inspection in the National Assembly after a review by the agenda adjustment committee conducted solely by the opposition party. Choi Min-hee, a Democratic Party member who chairs the committee, formed an agenda adjustment committee consisting of six members?three from the Democratic Party, two from the People Power Party, and one from the Innovation Party of Korea?and immediately pushed for processing the issue of Park’s report to the agenda adjustment committee as requested by the ruling party. The People Power Party walked out in protest.
The appointment of the secretary for the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee also failed. Senior Deputy Leader Bae criticized, "Despite it being the first meeting, the hearing schedule proceeded without agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, and the agenda was arbitrarily raised," adding, "They inserted the bill into the agenda without agreement between the ruling and opposition party secretaries."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
