Ruling and Opposition Parties Deadlocked Over Committee Formation... Will a "Legislation vs. Budget Committee" Deal Emerge?

Ruling and Opposition Parties Struggle Over Committee Chairmanships
Talks to Continue Until Tomorrow's Plenary Session

Discussions between the ruling and opposition parties over the allocation of National Assembly standing committee chairmanships have been making no progress. The Democratic Party of Korea, which is urgently seeking to pass the supplementary budget bill, needs to finalize the formation of the Assembly quickly. However, both sides remain at an impasse over the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, with neither party willing to make concessions. Some observers speculate that the Democratic Party may offer the chairmanship of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts instead of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee as a negotiation card.

According to political sources on June 25, the floor leaders of both parties plan to continue discussions on the allocation of standing committee chairmanships until the plenary session scheduled for June 26. Despite meeting twice the previous day, they failed to narrow their differences and are continuing negotiations.

Yonhap News Agency

The main sticking point is the distribution of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship. The position became vacant after Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chungrae stepped down to run for the party leadership. The Democratic Party insists that, based on the bipartisan agreement reached at the start of the 22nd National Assembly, it should retain the post for one more year. In contrast, the People Power Party argues that, according to precedent, the chairmanship should go to the opposition. Five standing committee chairmanships remain vacant, including the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, the Steering Committee, the Strategy and Finance Committee, and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik has requested both parties to submit the list of members for the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts by June 26 for the review of the supplementary budget. He also called for consultations on the election of vacant standing committee chairpersons, including the chair of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. While the People Power Party has completed compiling its list, the Democratic Party plans to convene a plenary session on June 27 to elect the chair of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. Democratic Party spokesperson Hwang Jeonga stated, "A plenary session on June 27 is essential because we need to appoint chairpersons for the vacant standing committees, including the chair of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. Otherwise, it will be difficult to process the supplementary budget during the June extraordinary session."

Some observers predict that the Democratic Party may consider offering the chairmanship of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts instead of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. If the formation of the Assembly remains stalled for an extended period, it would be impossible to begin deliberations on the supplementary budget. Since both parties agree on the necessity of the supplementary budget, the calculation is that even if the Democratic Party yields the chairmanship of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, the review of the supplementary budget will not be unduly delayed. Even if the People Power Party rejects the proposal, the Democratic Party would gain justification to proceed with the Assembly formation on its own. However, it is reported that this idea has not yet been officially raised in negotiations.

Even if the Democratic Party puts this negotiation card on the table, it remains uncertain whether the People Power Party will accept it. Since the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee holds the key to legislative control in the Assembly, the People Power Party, now a minority opposition, is determined to secure it. The prevailing sentiment within the party is that, even if it concedes all other chairmanships, it must obtain the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship. Shin Dongwook, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said in a phone interview, "Since decisions in the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts are made by majority vote, even if we get the chairmanship, we cannot block the passage of the budget bill. It is not appropriate to discuss the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the same level."

If negotiations continue to stall, it is highly likely that the Democratic Party will insist on retaining the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship. The Democratic Party has signaled its intention to convene a plenary session and process the supplementary budget bill on its own if no agreement is reached.