Satellite Parties Weigh 'Survival as Negotiation Groups'... Will the 21st National Assembly Open with Tricks?

Appointment of the Chief of the Corruption Investigation Office, Standing Committee Allocation, and Party Subsidies: Calculations of Practical Benefits
Criticism of 'Cunning Politics' Even Within the Party

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Will the 21st National Assembly, opening in June, start with 'tricky politics'? The two major parties are weighing options to keep the satellite parties created for proportional representation before the general election as negotiation groups without absorbing them. This is due to tangible benefits such as standing committee allocations and party subsidies, but criticism is coming not only from other parties but also within the parties themselves.

The first to raise the issue was Won Yoo-chul, leader of the Future Korea Party. Initially, the Future Korea Party was expected to be absorbed into its mother party, the United Future Party, right after the election, but Leader Won postponed the timing. He said, "We are considering what can effectively check the government and ruling party," adding, "We are also keeping open the possibility of forming a negotiation group." In response, Woo Hee-jong, co-leader of the Democratic Citizens' Party, mentioned delaying the dissolution deadline as a countermeasure.

The apparent reason the two parties are keeping the possibility of negotiation groups open is the appointment of the head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI). The inaugural head of the HOCI, which will launch on July 15, will be decided by the HOCI Chief Candidate Recommendation Committee, where two of the seven members are recommended by opposition negotiation groups. Approval requires six out of seven members' consent. The Future Korea Party is understood to intend to maintain its negotiation group status to share the opposition's recommended members with the United Future Party and hold veto power. The Democratic Citizens' Party aims to maintain its negotiation group to secure one of the opposition's recommended members, thereby strengthening the Democratic Party of Korea.

There are even greater practical benefits. The National Assembly's temporary sessions and major bill negotiations are mainly conducted around negotiation groups. Future standing committee chair allocations will also go to negotiation groups. Party subsidies are first distributed half to negotiation groups, then the remaining 50% is divided among all parties, resulting in significant differences in amounts. Although effectively one entity, splitting parties to increase negotiation groups yields greater tangible gains.

The Future Korea Party and the Democratic Citizens' Party won 19 and 17 seats respectively in this general election. Securing just one or three more seats can form a negotiation group. The Future Korea Party is focusing on United Future Party members elected as independents, while the Democratic Citizens' Party is weighing alliances with the Open Democratic Party or the Justice Party.

However, criticism of tricky politics seems unavoidable. Throughout the election period, they emphasized being 'sibling parties,' and now there is even less justification than when creating proportional satellite parties. It is nothing more or less than dividing seats among themselves. Jang Je-won, a United Future Party lawmaker, criticized on his Facebook, "The Future Korea Party is going further by citing political judgment for the merger," questioning, "Is that party a self-sustaining party?" The Justice Party also issued a statement saying, "One trick justifies another, leading to yet another trick," and warned, "The harm of the major parties' confrontational politics will leave scars on the 21st National Assembly and damage democracy."

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