Negotiations Begin for 21st National Assembly Leadership Formation... Who Will Control the Legislation and Judiciary Committee?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] As the opening of the 21st National Assembly approaches, negotiations for the formation of the parliamentary committees have intensified. The ruling party, holding a massive 177 seats, has threatened to take control of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Law Committee), raising interest in whether the opposition party can defend its position.

Kim Young-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea and Kim Sung-won, the floor leader of the United Future Party, announced that they will hold their first meeting for the formation of the 21st National Assembly committees on the 24th at 3:30 PM.

The term of the 21st National Assembly begins on the 30th. According to the National Assembly Act, the Speaker must be elected by the 5th of next month, and the standing committee chairs must be selected by the 8th. Both ruling and opposition parties have expressed their intention to complete the committee formation within the deadline to respond effectively to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but if disagreements over committee formation persist, discussions may not conclude within the set timeframe.

In particular, this time the Democratic Party is determined to take control of the Law Committee, drawing attention to the United Future Party’s response. By convention, standing committees in the National Assembly are allocated according to the number of seats held by negotiation groups. The Democratic Party, with 177 seats, is allocated 11 to 12 committees, while the United Future Party, with 103 seats, is allocated 6 to 7 committees.

However, on the 11th, Democratic Party floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon revealed his intention in an interview with TBS Radio’s "Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory," stating, "Until the 16th National Assembly, the ruling party held the Law Committee," implying that the party could take control of the Law Committee if necessary. This marks a step beyond the previous stance of merely revising the Law Committee’s authority over systematic and detailed review.

The Law Committee serves as the final gatekeeper for bills that have passed through various standing committees, conducting systematic and detailed reviews. There have been frequent occurrences of legislative "bottlenecks" where bills fail to pass the Law Committee even after clearing other committees. To facilitate effective bill processing, options under consideration include weakening the Law Committee’s authority or having the ruling party take control of it.

The opposition party, which must check the power of the dominant ruling party, is determined to prevent this as much as possible. On the 8th, opposition floor leader Joo Ho-young stated at a press conference, "It is undesirable for the Law Committee’s systematic and detailed review function to be used as a means to delay bills," but added, "More than 10 unconstitutional laws are passed through the National Assembly each year. Eliminating systematic and detailed review would be dangerous."

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