Under the National Assembly Act, Standing Committees Must Be Formed by the 8th... The Real Fight Between Minju and Tonghap Starts Now

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Although the National Assembly doors were opened due to the Democratic Party of Korea's push, confrontations with the United Future Party are expected to continue in the upcoming schedule, including the formation of standing committees and the review of the supplementary budget bill (추경안). According to the National Assembly Act, the ruling and opposition parties must distribute standing committees and elect chairpersons by the 8th. Afterward, they will begin processing the supplementary budget bill submitted to the National Assembly.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Since the ruling and opposition parties have continuously clashed over the chairperson positions of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Special Budget and Accounts Committee, the confrontation between the two parties is expected to intensify in the upcoming schedule. The opposition United Future Party insists that the plenary session for electing the chairpersons should not be held until the standing committee distribution issue is agreed upon.

On the other hand, the Democratic Party has firmly maintained its position to hold the plenary session on the 5th and elect the chairpersons, stating that "the opening of the National Assembly cannot be subject to negotiation."

Article 41, Paragraph 3 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that standing committee chairpersons must be elected within three days from the first convening day after the general election. Accordingly, the ruling and opposition parties must complete the organization by the 8th. With only three days left, the Democratic Party has room to push forward with the upcoming schedule. The Democratic Party has also expressed willingness to take all standing committee chairperson seats through a vote if the organization is delayed.

The Democratic Party reiterated its intention to proceed with the organization without delay. Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party, said at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, "After the plenary session ends, we must form standing committees within the shortest period to swiftly review and process the third supplementary budget, the Working National Assembly Act, and livelihood bills responding to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19)." He added, "To process the bills by the end of June at the latest, the standing committee organization must be completed by next week. Especially, the Budget and Accounts Committee must be formed quickly to begin the review process."

If the Democratic Party pushes through and completes the organization by the 8th, the first agenda item is expected to be the processing of the third supplementary budget bill. On the 4th, a third supplementary budget bill worth 35.3 trillion won was submitted to the National Assembly. The Democratic Party has emphasized completing the standing committee organization by the 8th and immediately starting the supplementary budget review work.

Accordingly, fierce disputes between the ruling and opposition parties are expected over the chairperson position of the Budget and Accounts Committee. From the Democratic Party's perspective, securing the chairperson position will facilitate not only the current supplementary budget bill but also the processing of the year-end budget in the future. However, the United Future Party is likely to resist giving up the position easily, even to exercise veto power. This foreshadows clashes between the ruling and opposition parties from the review process onward.

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