"No Oath Taken by Lawmakers Yet"... National Assembly Opening Ceremony Likely to Be the Latest Ever

Opening Ceremony of the National Assembly Scheduled for the 5th Postponed
Cooling-off Period Inevitable After Filibuster Conflict

The ruling and opposition parties continue their extreme confrontation, delaying even the scheduled opening ceremony of the National Assembly after conflicts over the Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor law. There are concerns that this could become the latest opening ceremony in the history of the National Assembly. It is increasingly likely that the newly elected members of the National Assembly will not be able to take their oath even 100 days after their election.

On the 5th, the National Assembly was supposed to hold its opening ceremony, but the rotunda hall in front of the plenary chamber was deserted. Under normal circumstances, all ruling and opposition members would have been seated in the plenary chamber, followed by the members’ “National Assembly oath,” then an opening address by Speaker Woo Won-sik and an opening speech by President Yoon Seok-yeol. However, after an unlimited debate (filibuster) lasting one night and two days deepened the conflict between the parties, the People Power Party declared it would not attend the opening ceremony, prompting Speaker Woo Won-sik to postpone the event. Consequently, President Yoon Seok-yeol’s opening speech was also canceled.

The main chamber on the 5th, when the opening ceremony of the 22nd National Assembly was scheduled. It appeared deserted without any people. / Photo by Oh Ji-eun

Previously, during the 21st National Assembly, the opening ceremony was held only on July 16 after prolonged confrontation over the formation of the Assembly. Members took their oath 92 days after the April 15 general election. This year, despite completing negotiations on the Assembly’s formation, there are forecasts that the ceremony could be delayed even longer than last year due to other circumstances. The emotional rift between the ruling and opposition parties is deep, and there is a high possibility of a political deadlock over the veto of the Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor law. Moreover, distrust has grown over Speaker Woo’s management of proceedings, including the forced end of the unlimited debate.

As a result, the legislative schedule, which had already been agreed upon by both parties, is inevitably facing setbacks. When the ruling and opposition parties completed negotiations on the Assembly’s formation, they had also agreed on the schedule for party group speeches on the 8th and 9th. A People Power Party official said, “We need to reconsider the July schedule.”

A National Assembly official said, “Speaker Woo may engage in consultations regarding the legislative schedule even over the weekend, but a cooling-off period of several days seems necessary.” Regarding the possibility of a meeting between floor leaders on the day, the official cautiously said, “We need to see the atmosphere first.”