Joo Ho-young: "Cannot Elect Chairpersons Without Negotiation Group Agreement... Forcing It Is Illegal"

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 2nd and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Ji-eun and Kim Hye-min] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, pointed out that it would be illegal if the Democratic Party of Korea pushes for the opening of the National Assembly on the 5th without an agreement among negotiation groups, saying, "The chairperson cannot be elected without the consent of the negotiation groups."

On the 2nd, Joo held a press conference at the floor leader's office in the main building of the National Assembly and said, "The Democratic Party is unilaterally trying to elect the chairperson on the 5th, but according to legal review, our opinion is that the chairperson cannot be elected without the agreement of the negotiation groups."

He explained, "The secretary-general can only announce the convocation of a temporary meeting if there is no chairperson, and cannot be involved in the start or progress of the National Assembly's temporary meeting," adding, "The plenary session can be opened if the negotiation groups agree, but if they do not agree, according to the National Assembly Act, the Speaker of the National Assembly must decide the session or procedural matters after consulting with the representatives of the negotiation groups."

Joo emphasized, "If consultation fails, the chairperson can decide, but this time there is no chairperson," and stressed, "Therefore, regardless of how many seats the Democratic Party has, they do not have the authority to open the plenary session without an agreement with the United Future Party."

He criticized, "Most of the regulations regarding the National Assembly sessions are advisory provisions, which are good to follow if possible and can vary depending on circumstances, so it is not appropriate to invoke 'according to the law'," and questioned, "Who were the forces that blocked Yoon Seok-yeol from investigating and punishing according to the law? Who defended the Cho Kuk and Yoon Mee-hyang cases and obstructed the implementation of the rule of law?"

He raised his voice, saying, "What more is lacking? The three major elected powers of the Republic of Korea?the president, the National Assembly, and local governments?have already been swept away," and asked, "Are they dreaming of parliamentary dictatorship by monopolizing the few opposition party chairmanships of standing committees?"

He continued, "Are we going back to the days of past dictatorships? I wonder if this will lead to calls to abolish the National Assembly altogether," adding, "'Why do we need the National Assembly?' is a question that was also raised by Representative Noh Young-min, who was the opposition party spokesperson, at the National Assembly Press Hall on December 13, 2009."

He said, "(Although it has been) less than a month since the election, it already feels like a year to me," and evaluated the success of the merger and the transition to the Emergency Response Committee (ERC), saying, "The difficult task of organizing the leadership is ahead, but it is fortunate that two major issues related to the party's direction have been resolved."

Regarding the direction of the ERC, he emphasized 'unity' and took steps to suppress discord. He said, "Instead of making excuses with words, I am determined to answer with the results of the presidential election one or two years from now," and added, "Chairman Kim Jong-in firmly expressed his determination at today's party meeting. First, to lay the groundwork for victory in the March 2022 presidential election, and second, to move forward in unity."

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