Opposition: "Chairman Woo Won-sik's Incomprehensible Actions... Special Prosecutor Law Must Be Passed Immediately"

Woo Won-sik Proposes Opening Plenary Session on 19th
Jung Cheong-rae "Chairperson's Personal Opinion Is Not Important"

Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik proposed handling contentious bills such as the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act and the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act after Chuseok, but the opposition party immediately opposed the suggestion. The opposition pressured that the bills should be dealt with in the plenary session of the National Assembly without delay, calling it an "incomprehensible act."

Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, is holding a press conference on current issues at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 11th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 11th, Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and other opposition members of the committee, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "It is known that Speaker Woo insists on not submitting any of the bills (Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act, Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act, Local Currency Act) processed in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee today to the plenary session," and expressed regret over what they called an incomprehensible act by the committee members.

Opposition lawmakers urged that a plenary session be convened within this week to process the special prosecutor bills. Although Speaker Woo proposed prioritizing the resolution of the medical crisis and holding the plenary session on the 19th, the opposition stated that this was unacceptable. Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Geon-tae said, "The Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act and the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act are very important laws that correct justice in our country, and the Local Currency Act is extremely important for people's livelihoods," adding, "If these laws are not passed immediately, the public will be disappointed."

Committee Chairman Jeong expressed displeasure at Speaker Woo's proposal. He said, "After much deliberation and discussion, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed all three bills today. To prevent procedural defects, the agenda adjustment committee requested by the People Power Party was also prepared in advance and completed according to procedure," adding, "This is the first time I have seen a case where the Speaker does not submit bills urgently completed even through the agenda adjustment committee to the plenary session."

The opposition argued that Speaker Woo should follow public opinion. Chairman Jeong criticized, "How can our people accept the idea of submitting the bills to the plenary session at a later time?" He added, "The Speaker is a member of the National Assembly before being the Speaker. It is excessive to decide to block bills that have passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee based on the Speaker's personal judgment." Furthermore, he said, "The public follows only the flag. They evaluate whether there is a will to pass these laws immediately," and requested, "Please recognize and reconsider that the aspirations of the people are important, not the personal thoughts of the Speaker."

On the same day, Speaker Woo held a press conference in the Speaker's office and proposed handling the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act, the Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act, and the Local Currency Act in the plenary session on the 19th to activate the ruling-opposition-government consultation body related to the medical crisis. Speaker Woo said, "The absolute duty of the National Assembly now is to resolve the legislative-executive conflict as soon as possible."