Yellow Envelope Act Filibuster Ends with July Special Session... Expected to be Processed in the Plenary Session on the 5th

Unlimited Debate Session Ends Due to Expiration
Opposition's Unilateral Passage Likely to Lead to Veto Steps

The "Yellow Envelope Act" (Partial Amendment to the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) filibuster automatically ended with the conclusion of the July extraordinary session of the National Assembly. The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, are expected to unilaterally pass the Yellow Envelope Act at the first plenary session of the August extraordinary session.

On the 3rd, the National Assembly concluded the plenary session as the filibuster on the Yellow Envelope Act ended with the session's closure. The filibuster, which began at 4 p.m. on the 2nd, lasted for about 31 hours and 30 minutes.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Previously, the special measures law for the payment of the livelihood recovery support fund (250,000 KRW per citizen), which also underwent a filibuster, was ended by the opposition parties including the Democratic Party within 24 hours, followed by a voting procedure. The Yellow Envelope Act could have similarly ended and proceeded to processing, but the vote was postponed due to the Democratic Party's party convention schedule.

The political circle expects the bill to be processed at the plenary session on the 5th.

The bill aims to strengthen the primary contractor's responsibility for subcontracted workers, expand the scope of strike actions, and limit companies' claims for damages against striking workers. The filibuster on the Yellow Envelope Act featured opposition speeches by People Power Party lawmakers Im I-ja, Woo Jae-jun, Kim So-hee, and Jo Ji-yeon, while Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Tae-seon, Progressive Party lawmaker Jeong Hye-kyung, and Innovation Party lawmaker Kim Seon-min spoke in favor.

While the Yellow Envelope Act is expected to pass the plenary session without difficulty, President Yoon Suk-yeol is anticipated to exercise his veto power. Previously, during the 21st National Assembly, the Yellow Envelope Act was passed in the plenary session led by the opposition but was subsequently vetoed by the president and discarded after a failed re-vote.