The February Extraordinary National Assembly Starting with 'North Korea Nuclear Power Plant'... Issues Are 'One Mountain After Another'

North Korean Nuclear Power Plant, Compensation for Self-Employed Losses, Judicial Impeachment 'One Mountain After Another'
Sharp Debates Expected at February Extraordinary National Assembly

On the 1st, at the 1st plenary session of the 384th National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties are saluting the national flag. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Jeon Jinyoung and Park Juni] The curtain has risen on the February extraordinary session of the National Assembly. However, it is already showing signs of instability due to partisan clashes over the ‘North Korean nuclear power plant’ issue from the very start. During the February session, the Democratic Party of Korea plans to address the compensation system for losses suffered by self-employed individuals and the impeachment of judges, but sharp confrontations are expected as the People Power Party has pulled out the ‘counter-impeachment’ card.

On the afternoon of the 1st, National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok held a plenary session at the National Assembly and held the opening ceremony for the February session. In his opening remarks, Speaker Park urged the formalization of discussions on constitutional amendments. He stated, “This year is effectively the last year for the 21st National Assembly to implement constitutional amendments,” and added, “After the by-elections in April, we must intensify discussions on constitutional amendments.”

Before the plenary session on the same day, Speaker Park convened a meeting with the floor leaders of both parties. However, the two floor leaders engaged in a tense exchange over the ‘North Korean nuclear power plant’ issue from the outset, foreshadowing a difficult political climate ahead.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said in his opening remarks, “The Blue House and the ruling party claim this issue is merely an idea, but considering that documents were created after the Panmunjom summit and deleted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, isn’t there a plan to build nuclear power plants in North Korea without public consent?” He also proposed a parliamentary investigation, saying, “Rather than just political disputes, I hope the National Assembly conducts a state audit to clarify this matter.”

In response, Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party, drew a line, saying, “This matter has already been thoroughly explained to the public by the Blue House, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Unification, which oversees inter-Korean relations, so I believe the facts have already been clarified.” Kim added, “When I think about why the opposition is making such an issue out of this, I regretfully conclude that a major election is approaching.”

Speaker Park then sought to settle the controversy, stating, “Regarding the nuclear power plant issue, it is a matter of fact, so it is important to quickly verify the facts,” and added, “At this point, it is not desirable for this to escalate into excessive political confrontation.”

With difficult issues such as the compensation system for self-employed losses and the impeachment of judges involved in the ‘judicial farming’ scandal, where bipartisan agreement is hard to find, the February extraordinary session has at least taken its first step. Speeches by party leaders are scheduled for the 2nd and 3rd. From the 4th, government questioning will begin. If the impeachment motion is reported at the plenary session on the 3rd, the National Assembly must vote on the impeachment on the 4th. On the same day, sharp confrontations are expected as both parties prepare questions on politics, diplomacy, unification, and security. Questions on the economy will be held the following day. This extraordinary session will run until the 28th.

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