Choo Kyung-ho: "I will fight against the Democratic Party's parliamentary dictatorship" Returns but foresees a thorny path ahead

Democratic Party to Force Controversial Bills in Plenary Session on 4th
Operations Committee and Government Questions Likely to Continue Offensive
Ruling Party Only Requests Filibuster and Veto

Chu Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party who had expressed his intention to resign taking responsibility for the failure to organize the National Assembly, returned after five days. However, there is no sign that the situation in the National Assembly will improve. The Democratic Party of Korea is set to push through contentious bills by June 4, the end of the June extraordinary session, and with plenary sessions scheduled for three consecutive days starting from the 2nd for government questioning, the conflict between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to reach its peak.

At the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st, Floor Leader Chu said, "The Democratic Party of Korea is recklessly rushing legislation using Leader Lee Jae-myung's shield and impeachment as a political bridgehead," adding, "The People Power Party will make a last stand here, with 108 members united to fiercely fight against the Democratic Party's parliamentary dictatorship."

Chu Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Although Floor Leader Chu has returned to party affairs, a thorny path is anticipated. Starting with the National Assembly Steering Committee on this day, the Democratic Party is expected to launch a full-scale offensive against the government and ruling party during the government questioning from the 2nd to the 4th. Afterwards, they plan to forcibly pass the 'Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong,' the 'Broadcasting 3+1 Act,' and the impeachment motion against the Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission in the plenary session. The People Power Party reportedly held a closed-door strategy meeting last weekend to prepare countermeasures. With the Steering Committee, traditionally chaired by the ruling party, now led by the Democratic Party, the ruling party's floor leader, Bae Jun-young, will serve as the committee's secretary.

However, there are not many ways for the minority opposition party to block the Democratic Party's legislative push. The cards in the hands of the People Power Party are limited to filibuster (unlimited debate) and requesting the president's veto power. On the last day of the June extraordinary session, the 4th, the People Power Party can initiate a filibuster in the plenary session, but under the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be forcibly ended if at least three-fifths (180 members) of the total members vote in favor. Ultimately, the hope lies in the president's veto power. The challenge for Floor Leader Chu is how well they can defend the veto with votes without any defections. In the last plenary session of the 21st National Assembly, the Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong, which was subject to a secret ballot due to the president's veto, was rejected with 179 votes in favor, 111 against, and 4 invalid out of 294 members present. Regarding the impeachment motion against the Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, if the current chairman Kim Hong-il resigns before the National Assembly plenary session vote, as the former chairman Lee Dong-gwan did, the impeachment motion can be nullified, leading to a tense standoff between the ruling and opposition parties.