"Please Postpone the Plenary Session on the 21st," Opposition Requests
Woo Wonshik: "Floor Leaders Should Discuss the Schedule"
On August 19, the People Power Party met with National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik to request that the plenary session of the National Assembly, originally scheduled for August 21, be postponed until after the party convention on August 22.
Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, spoke to reporters after meeting with Speaker Woo, stating, "It is unacceptable to hold a plenary session on the same day as the party convention, which is our most important political event and a festival for the party." He added, "I asked the Speaker to reschedule the plenary session to a date after the party convention."
Song Eonseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, along with senior lawmakers, visited the Speaker's office at the National Assembly on the 19th to request adjustments to the schedule for the plenary session. Photo by Yonhap News
He continued, "The Speaker is planning to reconvene the plenary session on the 21st, but I explained that if unagreed bills are put on the agenda, our party will have no choice but to launch a filibuster (unlimited debate)."
In response, Speaker Woo requested that the floor leaders of both parties discuss the schedule. Song explained, "The Speaker is fully aware of the situation and will also consult with the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. He also asked that the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties discuss the schedule together."
An official from the Speaker's office explained, "This should be understood as a request for further consultations between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the plenary session schedule, including the People Power Party convention on the 22nd."
The Democratic Party of Korea plans to convene the plenary session on August 21 to sequentially process key bills, including the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Act and other broadcasting-related bills, the Yellow Envelope Act, and the second amendment to the Commercial Act. In response, the People Power Party had planned to counter with a filibuster (unlimited debate), but with the plenary session expected on the 21st and the party convention on the 22nd, it has become inevitable that the party's resources will be divided.
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