Unlimited Debate 7th Speaker People Power Party Member Gwak Gyutaek
Reading of Ssangbangwool North Korea Remittance Case Verdict
Vice Chairman Joo Ho-young "No Authority to Censor Speech"
During the unlimited debate (filibuster) in the National Assembly plenary session held ahead of the vote on the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act, a remarkable scene unfolded as Kwon Gyu-taek, a member of the People Power Party, read aloud the court ruling related to Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province. On the 4th, opposition lawmakers strongly protested in the National Assembly plenary hall, arguing that the content was unrelated to the agenda and should be stopped. As the opposition's objections continued, Rep. Kwon changed the topic to the agenda related to the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act and continued the unlimited debate.
On the second day of the unlimited debate, Kwon, the seventh speaker, said, "The Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act is a special prosecutor aimed at diverting public attention from the Ssangbangwool case verdict," and read the ruling related to former Deputy Governor Lee. As Lee was found guilty, Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and then Governor of Gyeonggi Province, faced trial for charges including ‘third-party collusion.’ Through the unlimited debate, Rep. Kwon targeted the former leader.
After nearly three hours of reading the ruling, opposition lawmakers including those from the Democratic Party protested. Article 102 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that "no speech unrelated to the agenda or different in nature from the permitted speech shall be made," but Rep. Kwon continued to speak on topics unrelated to the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act. Opposition lawmakers protested, demanding that such remarks be stopped.
Regarding this, Joo Ho-young, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, said, "Article 102 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that only speeches related to the agenda can be made, but there is an interpretation of Article 106-2, Paragraph 1, which regulates unlimited debate, that it only restricts time and does not limit content." He added, "As the chairperson, I cannot review and stop speeches based on content one by one. This is an issue to be resolved legislatively, and I cannot use authority that does not exist to stop speeches." In other words, it is not possible to judge whether Rep. Kwon’s remarks are related to the agenda and stop them.
As the opposition lawmakers’ loud protests continued, Rep. Kwon said, "I will change the topic," and added, "I will talk about the problems in the legislative and judiciary committee’s review process of the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act." Even after this, when Rep. Kwon pointed out issues with the judiciary committee members and their aides, fierce protests from opposition lawmakers continued inside the plenary hall.
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