Four Opposition Parties Propose Prompt Handling of 'Relaxation of Negotiating Bloc Requirements' to National Assembly Speaker

On July 16, the four opposition parties?Innovation Party, Progressive Party, Basic Income Party, and Social Democratic Party?visited National Assembly Speaker Woonsik Woo and proposed the prompt handling of the 'relaxation of the requirements for negotiating blocs.'

Social Democratic Party leader Changmin Han (from left), Basic Income Party leader Hyein Yong, Progressive Party floor leader Jongo Yoon, and Innovation Party floor leader Wangjin Seo are moving to meet with National Assembly Speaker Woonsik Woo at the National Assembly on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News

After their meeting with Speaker Woo that afternoon, the four opposition parties told reporters, "With regard to National Assembly reform, we first and foremost proposed the need to relax the requirements for negotiating blocs."

The four parties stated, "Speaker Woo agreed on the necessity of this issue and promised to play an active role in arranging discussions together with the Democratic Party. He also said that, regarding additional matters related to National Assembly reform, further preparations would be made through the 'National Assembly Reform Advisory Committee' currently being prepared by the Speaker's office."

They explained, "The issue of relaxing the requirements for negotiating blocs was already agreed upon at the previous roundtable meeting, where five parties?including the Democratic Party?agreed to pursue the relaxation soon after the presidential election, so we proposed a swift resolution."

Additionally, they stated that they had also proposed issues such as the introduction of a runoff system for local government heads and amendments to election laws related to local elections.