Consent for Appointment of 丁·Kindergarten 3 Acts... Ruling Party, Shifting to General Election Mode Today?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The ruling party will attempt to pass the appointment consent bill for Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and the Kindergarten Three Acts (Early Childhood Education Act, Private School Act, School Meals Act) at the National Assembly plenary session scheduled for the 13th. The maintenance of cooperation within the 4+1 coalition (Democratic Party of Korea, Bareunmirae Party, Justice Party, Party for Democracy and Peace + Alternative Party) and whether the Liberty Korea Party will carry out a filibuster (legitimate obstruction of parliamentary proceedings through unlimited debate) are expected to be the biggest variables in handling these issues.

The National Assembly will hold a plenary session at 6 p.m. that day. The main contentious issues include the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, the appointment consent bill for candidate Chung, and the Kindergarten Three Acts.

The ruling party plans to first leverage the 4+1 coalition system to pass the adjustment bills on investigative authority between the prosecution and police, such as the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors' Office Act, and then proceed with the confirmation process for Prime Minister candidate Chung Sye-kyun.

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party, said regarding the appointment consent bill for candidate Chung, "The Liberty Korea Party raised absurd suspicions as if it only matters if they oppose, but rather, the hearing clearly showed the candidate's experience and humility," and added, "To avoid a government vacuum, I hope the Liberty Korea Party stops obstructing state affairs and confidently participates in the vote to fulfill its role as the opposition party." He made clear his intention to push forward with the vote.

Currently, the possibility of Speaker Moon Hee-sang's 'ex officio submission' of the appointment consent bill is considered high. The current Personnel Hearing Act stipulates that the hearing report must be submitted to the Speaker within three days after the hearing ends, and if not submitted within the period, the Speaker may submit the appointment consent bill to the plenary session. Previously, the National Assembly Personnel Hearing Special Committee held the hearing for candidate Chung on the 7th and 8th, but failed to adopt the hearing report due to disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties over the composition of the verification committee. In other words, the conditions for ex officio submission have been met.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Liberty Korea Party has voiced criticism of the move to process candidate Chung's appointment consent bill but appears unable to do much due to numerical inferiority. Sim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party, said at a press briefing the day before, "The hearing report has not even been adopted, yet the Democratic Party says it will arbitrarily process the confirmation bill," and criticized, "The two Speakers (former Speaker Chung Sye-kyun and Speaker Moon Hee-sang) seem to lack constitutional spirit and only have the DNA of regime henchmen. They will be judged." By mentioning 'judgment,' it is interpreted that they will not take concrete action immediately.

The ruling party will also move to pass the Kindergarten Three Acts that day. However, unlike the adjustment bills on investigative authority, there are disagreements within the 4+1 coalition regarding the Kindergarten Three Acts, so it may be excluded from the vote that day. Also, if the Liberty Korea Party initiates a filibuster, even if it is submitted, the vote itself could be postponed to the next plenary session. In fact, Floor Leader Sim also left open the possibility regarding whether to proceed with a filibuster, saying, "It will be decided at the party meeting before the plenary session."

Meanwhile, as the fast-track political situation enters its final stages, both ruling and opposition parties are expected to begin full-scale preparations for the general election. In particular, within the ruling party, if candidate Chung's appointment consent bill passes, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon is expected to return to Yeouido. He is anticipated to take on a key role such as head of the election campaign headquarters and shake up the general election landscape. The Liberty Korea Party is expected to accelerate preparations for the general election while focusing more on conservative unification.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.