Ruling and Opposition Clash Over 'Yellow Envelope Act'... Opposition Demands "First Submission" vs Ruling Party Calls for "Committee Formation First"

People Power Party Walks Out in Protest of Yellow Envelope Act Submission
Ahn Ho-young "Unacceptable Reason... Regret the Walkout"

"The more urgent it is, the more you have to take a detour!" (Im I-ja, People Power Party lawmaker)

"Just table it and form a subcommittee to pass it." (Ahn Ho-young, Chair of the Environment and Labor Committee)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee (Hwan-no-wi) tabled the 'Yellow Envelope Act' (amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act) in the standing committee, skipping the reflection period and subcommittee review process led by the opposition. The People Power Party protested the forced tabling of the Yellow Envelope Act and walked out of the Hwan-no-wi meeting room.

Ahn Ho-young, Chair of the Environment and Labor Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 28th at the full committee meeting in Yeouido, Seoul, "The Yellow Envelope Act has not passed the 15-day reflection period required by the National Assembly Act after being referred to the committee," but added, "Considering the urgency and inevitability of handling the agenda, I intend to table it by the standing committee's resolution." According to the National Assembly Act, a 15-day reflection period must be observed before tabling an amendment in the standing committee, but this can be waived by the committee's resolution.

The People Power Party immediately opposed the tabling of the Yellow Envelope Act. Kim Hyung-dong, the People Power Party lawmaker serving as the party's secretary in the Environment and Labor Committee, said, "The Yellow Envelope Act is neither that urgent nor important," and added, "The Democratic Party pushing this related to the Labor Union Act is a process that stirs up political conflict." He continued, "Regarding the agenda's content and subcommittee formation, I said that since the Democratic Party is the majority, they have priority," and emphasized, "I find it absolutely difficult to agree with Chair Ahn's statement that it must be tabled immediately."

Woo Jae-joon, a People Power Party lawmaker, said, "I continue to sympathize with the intention that there should be no blind spots in labor law, but I pointed out whether this means is appropriate and that there are side effects when the law is enforced," adding, "I did not receive any answers regarding this." He also criticized, "Going into a vote saying that an agreement has been reached and discussions have been sufficient without hearing any answers is nothing but an attitude that shows no intention to persuade or reach consensus with the other side."

The opposition argued that passing the Yellow Envelope Act is an urgent matter. Kim Joo-young, a Democratic Party lawmaker serving as the opposition secretary in the Environment and Labor Committee, said, "The committee has held public hearings and legislative hearings on the Yellow Envelope Act, and there have been many discussions even in the 21st National Assembly," adding, "Many workers have suffered from indiscriminate damages and provisional seizures, and this law will alleviate workers' suffering." Jeong Hye-kyung, a lawmaker from the Progressive Party, claimed, "Perceiving this as political conflict is itself a distorted view," and stated, "(The Yellow Envelope Act) is a livelihood bill for workers, including non-regular workers."

Subsequently, the People Power Party insisted on forming the Environment and Labor Committee subcommittee first and then tabling the Yellow Envelope Act. They argued that discussions on the Yellow Envelope Act should continue in the subcommittee. However, Chair Ahn did not accept this and insisted on forming the subcommittee after tabling the Yellow Envelope Act. The People Power Party walked out of the meeting in protest.

The Environment and Labor Committee tabled the Yellow Envelope Act through an opposition-led resolution. Chair Ahn said, "It is regrettable that they left for unacceptable reasons," and added, "Considering the urgency, we will proceed according to the procedures."