[Deputy Director Column] 'Yubal Seung' Ju Ho-young, It's Time to Come Back Now

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The timing of Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the United Future Party, who was said to be returning 'this week,' is once again uncertain. When Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the United Future Party, visited Beopjusa Temple in Songnisan over the weekend and met with him, and when the first-term lawmakers persuaded Floor Leader Joo to return, it seemed highly likely that he would return during the week. However, on the 22nd, Kim Eun-hye, the party spokesperson, stated, "He did not specify exactly when he would come," causing the possibility of his return to diminish again.

It has already been eight days since Floor Leader Joo announced his resignation on the 15th and left the National Assembly. Since then, there has been no progress in the negotiations for the formation of the National Assembly. Despite the boycott by United Future Party lawmakers, standing committees such as the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the National Defense Committee were held, resulting in unilateral voices from the ruling party lawmakers. In the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, ruling party members raised issues regarding the investigation into former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, and in the National Defense Committee, there were calls for control over private North Korea leaflets.

If United Future Party lawmakers had attended, they could have checked the reemergence of the former Prime Minister Han issue as judicial noncompliance. There could also have been opposing opinions that controlling private North Korea leaflets infringes on freedom of expression. However, the standing committees where United Future Party lawmakers were absent are operating solely on one-sided logic. Through the boycott, the opposition party's raison d'?tre has been made visible. But what significance does it have to merely warn of the dangers of standing committees monopolized by the ruling party?

It is no longer acceptable to let the National Assembly operate with only one wing. The ruling Democratic Party's unilateral election of standing committee chairs and the Speaker's allocation of standing committees have broken the principles of parliamentary cooperation, and Floor Leader Joo's seclusion in protest is not without justification. However, justification is not everything. Currently, due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), our economy is in a crisis, and on the 18th, while Floor Leader Joo was absent from the National Assembly, North Korea escalated its military provocations by blowing up the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office. In such circumstances, if the National Assembly is divided and only asserts each side's justification, the livelihood of the people, which is the reason for the existence of the National Assembly, could reach a state of collapse.

Floor Leader Joo even sent a final ultimatum to the Democratic Party, saying, "Take all 18 standing committees." If the United Future Party truly intends to give up all 18 standing committees, even if Floor Leader Joo returns to the National Assembly, not much will change. The Democratic Party fears public opinion backlash from monopolizing all 18 standing committees, but it could use this opportunity as justification to take all 18. If the Democratic Party claims it is only taking them because the United Future Party gave them up, then from the United Future Party's perspective, to regain power, they would have to wait for the Democratic Party to fail. This places them in a passive position and makes it difficult to escape the existing frame of 'holding things back.'

It is hoped that Floor Leader Joo will change his mind and return to the National Assembly quickly. The Democratic Party should also make generous concessions that the opposition can accept during the formation process, rather than maintaining a high-handed attitude, and apologize for breaking the cooperative practice. With the fate of the country hanging by a thread due to COVID-19 and North Korea's threats, the extreme confrontation between the two major parties benefits no one. Even as North Korea continues to disparage President Moon Jae-in daily, the National Assembly needs to respond with a unified voice. It must also promptly begin reviewing the supplementary budget bill to help the working class and youth struggling due to COVID-19. While the ruling and opposition parties are engaged in a pride battle, the golden time for our economy may already have passed.

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