Ruling and Opposition Floor Leaders Meet in Yeouido for Luncheon
Committee Chair Allocation Talks Remain Deadlocked
Democratic Party: "Dividing Up Positions Is Not Cooperation"
On June 26, the floor leaders of the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party are scheduled to hold a luncheon meeting to negotiate the allocation of the five vacant National Assembly standing committee chairmanships and the confirmation of Kim Minseok as Prime Minister nominee. These issues need to be resolved to enable the prompt review and execution of the supplementary budget bill.
Kim Byungki, floor leader of the Democratic Party, and Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, plan to meet for lunch at a location in Yeouido, Seoul, following the National Assembly plenary session that morning. The meeting will take the form of a 2+2 gathering, with both parties' floor leaders joined by Moon Jinseok, deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, and Yoo Sangbeom, deputy floor leader of the People Power Party.
To review the 30.5 trillion won supplementary budget bill submitted by the government, it is necessary to appoint chairpersons for the currently vacant finance-related standing committees, such as the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and the Planning and Finance Committee. In addition, vacancies must be filled for other standing committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, and the Steering Committee.
Although negotiations were held on June 24, both during a meeting hosted by National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik in the morning and a separate meeting in the afternoon, no agreement was reached. The People Power Party maintains that, according to precedent, the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, which is typically allocated to the opposition, should be handed over to them. However, the Democratic Party argues that, since the chairmanship is a two-year term, it should remain with the Democratic Party. Discussions regarding other standing committee chairmanships are facing similar difficulties.
Some observers speculate that a concession regarding the Budget and Accounts Committee could emerge through the swift review of the supplementary budget, but the likelihood appears to be very low. Kim Hyunjung, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party, told reporters at the National Assembly that, in order to pass the supplementary budget bill by July 4-the last day of the June extraordinary session-the party intends to elect the remaining standing committee chairs, excluding the Planning and Finance Committee chairmanship allocated to the opposition, on June 27.
Regarding this, spokesperson Kim stated, "The opposition is demanding the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship, but we do not believe that dividing up positions at the expense of principles constitutes cooperation."
When asked by reporters whether excluding the election of the Planning and Finance Committee chair would mean that committee matters would be omitted from the supplementary budget, she replied, "We have not considered that yet," but added, "Isn't floor leader Song currently serving concurrently as Planning and Finance Committee chair? If those matters are not discussed, it would only serve to obstruct state affairs."
Regarding the failure to adopt the confirmation hearing report for Prime Minister nominee Kim Minseok on June 25, she said, "The People Power Party boycotted the confirmation hearing, resulting in its automatic adjournment," and argued, "This goes beyond obstructing state affairs and amounts to refusing to accept the presidential election outcome."
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