Democratic Party Pushes for Contentious Bills
People Power Party Counters with Filibuster
As the final plenary session of the regular National Assembly ended in conflict over the filibuster (unlimited debate) issue, an extraordinary session of the National Assembly will be convened in December. The Democratic Party of Korea plans to introduce contentious bills, while the People Power Party has announced a strategy to counter with filibusters, suggesting that an intense standoff will likely continue through the end of the year.
The National Assembly will begin its December extraordinary session starting on the 10th. The amendment to the Franchise Business Act, which was introduced on the last day of the regular session on the 9th, is scheduled to be put to a vote at the plenary session of the extraordinary session on the 11th, in accordance with the National Assembly Act. An official from the Speaker’s office stated, “The plenary session will be held tomorrow (the 11th),” adding, “The vote on the amendment to the Franchise Business Act is also scheduled for the 11th.”
With both the ruling and opposition parties making clear that they will not make concessions, the December extraordinary session is also expected to be marked by a hardline standoff. The Democratic Party plans to hold plenary sessions from the 11th to the 14th, process the amendment to the Franchise Business Act by putting it to a vote on the first day, and pass three key contentious bills. The People Power Party has already assigned filibuster slots to its members.
Since the previous day, the People Power Party has labeled eight of the contentious bills being pushed by the Democratic Party-including the bill to establish a special court for insurrection, the bill to introduce the crime of judicial distortion (Criminal Act amendment), and the bill to strengthen filibuster requirements (National Assembly Act amendment)-as the “Eight Evil Bills,” and is demanding their withdrawal. When Na Kyungwon, the first filibuster speaker from the People Power Party, began her speech the previous day, the plenary chamber descended into chaos. Speaker Woo turned off Representative Na’s microphone just 10 minutes into the filibuster, citing remarks unrelated to the agenda, prompting People Power Party lawmakers to shout “Woo Mi-ae (Woo Wonshik + Choo Mi-ae)” and “Resign!” in protest. Amid the heated exchanges between ruling and opposition lawmakers, Speaker Woo declared a recess two hours after the session began. Afterwards, the People Power Party visited the Speaker’s office to protest and stated that they would consider legal action, claiming that Speaker Woo’s restriction of remarks constituted an illegal act.
In addition, starting today, the People Power Party began a relay tent sit-in in front of the main building of the National Assembly to block the “Eight Evil Bills.” Representative Jang Donghyuk, launching the protest, stated, “The Eight Evil Bills being promoted by the Democratic Party are aimed at neutralizing the judiciary, which is the last bulwark of democracy, and the people, who are the last force protecting the Republic of Korea,” adding, “We will do everything in our power to stop these bills.” As the standoff continues, more than 60 non-contentious bills, which both parties had agreed upon, are being pushed down the agenda. A Democratic Party floor official said, “Since the People Power Party has announced it will filibuster all of them, the non-contentious bills are being postponed.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
