People Power Party Lawmakers: "Choo Mi-ae's Unilateral Control Over Subcommittee... Committee Chair Must Resign"

"Unilateral Expansion and Assignment of Subcommittee by Judiciary Chair"
People Power Party Considers Boycott and Ethics Complaint Against Judiciary Committee

Members of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party have demanded the resignation of Committee Chairperson Choo Mi-ae, protesting her unilateral decision in organizing the committee. Their objection stems from the chairperson's arbitrary assignment of members after increasing the number of members in the First Subcommittee for Bill Review from eight to eleven.

On September 1, People Power Party lawmakers on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, including Park Hyungsoo, Cho Baesook, and Shin Dongwook, visited the committee chairperson's office in protest and subsequently released a statement outlining their position. Although they sought to meet with Chairperson Choo, the meeting did not take place as she was absent.

Yonhap News Agency

Park Hyungsoo, the People Power Party's secretary on the committee, stated, "The People Power Party has repeatedly requested that Cho Baesook be assigned to the First Subcommittee and Joo Jinwoo to the Second Subcommittee, but Chairperson Choo completely ignored these requests and instead assigned Park Juntae to the First Subcommittee." He criticized, "By disregarding the People Power Party's requests and assigning members at her own discretion, she is committing an unprecedented act of parliamentary tyranny."

It is customary for each party to decide which of its members are assigned to standing committee subcommittees, and deviating from this practice is unacceptable, they argued. Accordingly, the People Power Party demanded the resignation of Chairperson Choo Mi-ae, and announced that they would consider boycotting the committee and filing an ethics complaint against her in the National Assembly Ethics Committee.

Park Hyungsoo asserted, "Increasing the number of members in the First Subcommittee is intended to expand the representation of the Democratic Party, the People Power Party, and the Rebuilding Korea Party. In effect, the combined seats of the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party, which are essentially a single bloc, will be doubled compared to the People Power Party."

He continued, "We asked the Democratic Party's secretary to nominate the First Subcommittee member according to the People Power Party's request, in line with custom and common sense, but Chairperson Choo said, 'I have no intention of doing so.' It is unthinkable in the National Assembly for her to say she has no intention of doing so, when an apology would hardly suffice."