Unresolved Divide to the End... Fears of Political Deadlock as "Half-Opening" of National Assembly Raises Tensions

Ruling Party Hails "A Day of New Practices,"
Opposition Warns "National Assembly Loses Its Meaning with Unilateral Decisions"
Potential for Continued Ruling-Opposition Clashes
President Moon's Fourth-Year Agenda Faces Setbacks

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporters Ryu Jungmin, Kim Hyemin, Won Dara] In the end, the reality of a "half-opening" of the National Assembly without bipartisan agreement has materialized. The 21st National Assembly opened on schedule, but effectively only with the Democratic Party, and the relationship between the ruling and opposition parties is expected to become even more strained. The Democratic Party, which has 177 seats and aims to change the order of the National Assembly, is facing strong resistance from the Future United Party, making future clashes on every issue seem inevitable.

President Moon Jae-in's fourth-year policy agenda has also taken a direct hit. With the presidential election in March 2022 now just one year and nine months away, there is no time for President Moon, who has unveiled the "Korean New Deal" as his grand national policy design, to wait. He must address each of the pending state affairs that have been postponed since June in order to achieve the desired policy outcomes. For the Blue House, the prospect of a paralyzed National Assembly is an unthinkable scenario. There is still a long way to go to resolve issues such as the allocation of standing committee chairs, the passage of the third supplementary budget, and the launch of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO).

Traditionally, the National Assembly has opened after completing negotiations on the allocation of standing committee chairs and other organizational matters. This is the first time in 53 years, since the 7th National Assembly in July 1967, that the ruling party has opened the National Assembly on its own.

Up until just before the start of the 21st National Assembly, there was an atmosphere of cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties. On May 28, President Moon Jae-in hosted a luncheon with the floor leaders of both parties at the Blue House, which lasted two hours and thirty minutes-far exceeding the scheduled one hour and ten minutes. It had been a year and six months since President Moon last invited the floor leaders to the Blue House, following the first meeting of the regular ruling-opposition-government consultative body in November 2018.

On May 20, the "Framework Act on Clearing Up Past Affairs for Truth and Reconciliation" was passed in the plenary session through bipartisan agreement. On May 29, the two floor leaders had a dinner meeting with soju at a location in Seoul, and on May 30, they attended the Buddha's Birthday celebration together, continuing their dialogue for three consecutive days.

Democratic Party lawmakers are taking a commemorative photo with fellow lawmakers in the National Assembly plenary session hall on the 5th. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

However, this atmosphere changed dramatically as discussions on the organization of the 21st National Assembly began in earnest. In particular, as the ruling and opposition parties failed to narrow their differences over the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Democratic Party took a hardline stance, declaring that it would claim all standing committee chair positions. The Democratic Party then maintained a firm position, stating that it would open the National Assembly within the legal deadline even if it had to do so alone, while the Future United Party strongly objected, further intensifying the standoff.

With the failure of negotiations and the ruling party's unilateral opening of the National Assembly becoming a reality, the relationship between the ruling and opposition parties is now likely to develop into a confrontational structure going forward.

The Democratic Party has made clear its intention to operate the National Assembly according to the principle of majority rule and in accordance with the law through this unilateral opening. At a meeting on the morning of June 5, Democratic Party leader Lee Haechan stated, "Today marks the establishment of new practices appropriate for a new era of the National Assembly." Floor leader Kim Taenyeon also remarked, "Late openings of the National Assembly have been commonplace throughout history. Endless political strife and paralysis have created the worst National Assemblies, but now we will create a law-abiding National Assembly."

Future United Party lawmakers are collectively walking out in protest against the parliamentary procedure to elect the Speaker of the National Assembly at the plenary session on the 5th. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

On the other hand, the Future United Party, which suffered a crushing defeat in the general election, tried to emphasize "cooperation" and sought a reversal of the situation, but felt its limitations. The possibility of physical clashes in the future cannot be ruled out. Future United Party spokesperson Bae Hyunjin reported after the parliamentary meeting the previous day, "Many lawmakers showed strong reactions to the forced opening of the National Assembly, and a significant number even advocated for a boycott or an all-out struggle."

Future United Party floor leader Joo Hoeyoung stated, "The National Assembly is an institution that operates by agreement. If the ruling party pushes through everything unilaterally just because it has more seats, the National Assembly loses its meaning." He continued, "If the Democratic Party pushes forward with the idea that it can do anything with 177 seats, the 21st National Assembly will not be able to get off to a smooth start." He also warned, "While it may seem that things will proceed smoothly if the majority makes overwhelming decisions and pushes forward, there is a historical reality that many difficulties arise when minority dissenting opinions are ignored. The responsibility for future problems in the operation of the National Assembly will rest entirely with the Democratic Party, which led the plenary session."

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