Speaker of the National Assembly Press Briefing
"Intended to attend Liberation Day ceremony but decided not to due to disparagement of Gwangbokhoe President"
"Regarding Special Prosecutor Law for Chae Sang-byeong, best to prepare bipartisan agreement focusing on third-party recommendations"
Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik publicly requested President Yoon Seok-yeol to attend the opening ceremony of the 22nd National Assembly on the 21st.
At a press briefing held at the National Assembly that day, Speaker Woo said, "The opening ceremony must be held, and I have never seen an opening ceremony without the president's participation," adding, "If the president decides to hold the opening ceremony at the National Assembly, I would be grateful if he could definitely attend." Regarding the uncomfortable situation caused by remarks such as impeachment or 'murderer' being mentioned at the National Assembly, President Yoon said, "There is conflict not only in the National Assembly but throughout society. The president is the president of all the people, so he must deliver a unifying message," emphasizing, "Even if it is uncomfortable, it would be good to participate in the opening ceremony and start the 22nd National Assembly together."
For now, Speaker Woo appears to be considering holding the opening ceremony on the 2nd of next month. He said, "There is an opinion to hold it on September 2," but added, "The ruling party side feels very uncomfortable about the recent remarks made at the National Assembly."
He also revealed that he proposed talks regarding constitutional amendments during Constitution Day but has yet to receive a response. Speaker Woo said, "President Yoon passed the (Constitution Day amendment proposal) to dialogue between the ruling and opposition parties, but I have not received an answer whether my proposal to meet was rejected or postponed," expressing regret.
Regarding his absence from the Liberation Day celebration, he explained, "I was deeply conflicted between the responsibility to uphold the constitution and my role as a mediator in the National Assembly," adding, "Chairman Lee Jong-chan of the Liberation Association said it would be better to attend, so I intended to go, but after seeing the insults and disparagement directed at the Liberation Association chairman, I thought, 'Is something that should never happen actually happening?'" He also criticized the appointment of Kim Hyung-seok as director of the Independence Hall, saying, "There are various opinions, but the one I most disagree with is the notion that 'our people were subjects of Japan during the Japanese colonial period,'" and added, "The 1910 Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty was illegal and coercive, so we did not lose our country but lost our sovereignty."
He also shared his feelings about the repetitive filibusters and vetoes after the opening of the 22nd National Assembly. Referring to his proposal for a mediation plan related to the Broadcasting Act, he said, "I tried to change the situation even if the speaker had to take some criticism, but it was not accepted, which is very regrettable and disappointing," adding, "Even though it is regrettable, we had to settle the situation to move on to the next stage, so we handled it according to the National Assembly Act procedures. We intend to continue doing so." Speaker Woo said, "I am trying to focus on how to move forward even half a step, what is beneficial to the people, without being bound by dialogue, mediation, or National Assembly Act procedures," and added, "We have regularized luncheon meetings between the Speaker and the floor leaders of both parties, and I am trying to make good use of them."
He also expressed expectations for changes following the recent leadership changes in both ruling and opposition parties. "I think it is meaningful that both ruling and opposition parties have completed their party conventions and now have a time to show results under new leadership," he said, adding, "It is virtually impossible to achieve results by the power of one side alone, so both parties have the task of creating a serious negotiation time to produce results. I have some expectations in this regard."
Meanwhile, regarding the handling of the special prosecutor law for Chae Sang-byeong, he urged both parties to find a consensus centered on the third-party recommendation plan proposed by Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party. He emphasized, "The third-party recommendation method for the special prosecutor was suggested by Leader Han Dong-hoon, and the opposition party can agree to it, so I think they should officially propose it to the ruling party," adding, "It is difficult to just let this pass, so it is best for both parties to agree and find a solution."
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