Resumption of Practical Consultations Following Report to Party Leader
The National Policy Council, which includes members from both the ruling and opposition parties as well as the government, will have Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Woo Won-sik, Speaker of the National Assembly, Kwon Young-se, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Lee Jae-myung, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, participating.
On the 9th, Jin Sung-jun, Policy Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party, after concluding the working-level meeting of the National Policy Council, announced the list of participants, stating, "There have been various discussions about the name of this consultative body, but we have agreed to call it the National Policy Council." He added, "In today's working-level meeting, all four parties discussed the agenda items of interest that should be addressed by the National Policy Council," and "After internal discussions within each camp, we decided to hold another working-level meeting."
The working-level meeting was held that morning at the National Assembly, attended by Jin, Kim Sang-hoon, Policy Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, Bang Ki-seon, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and Cho Oh-seop, Secretary to the Speaker of the National Assembly.
During the working-level meeting, the People Power Party planned to propose the prompt passage of future growth legislation such as the Semiconductor Special Act and the establishment of special committees on constitutional amendment and pension reform, while the Democratic Party intended to propose the preparation of a supplementary budget (Chugyeong). However, both parties agreed not to disclose the details discussed during the working-level meeting on that day.
Policy Committee Chairman Kim explained, "Since it was not a situation where a conclusion could be reached immediately at the working-level meeting, we will report to the party leaders and then set a general direction before meeting again for further consultation," adding, "Today, we kept the possibility open, narrowed differences on agenda items where possible, and agreed to reach consensus on matters that could be agreed upon."
Accordingly, the ruling and opposition parties, the government, and the Speaker's office plan to hold a second working-level meeting soon to specifically determine the agenda of the National Policy Council.
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