Lee Nak-yeon Side: "The Judiciary Committee Concession Agreed by Both Parties Should Not Be Reversed... It's Time to Pursue Reform Legislation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Amid opposition voices within the Democratic Party of Korea regarding the ruling and opposition parties' agreement to concede the position of the Chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for the second half of the 21st National Assembly (next year), the camp of former leader Lee Nak-yeon has stated that "the agreement should not be reversed." This contrasts with statements made by Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, who called for "reconsideration" and "withdrawal." Lee's camp emphasized that rather than reversing the agreement, reform legislation should be promptly processed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 27th, spokesperson Bae Jae-jung said in a commentary, "The essence is not about the position of the Chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, but about the 'normalization of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee,' which has been operating abnormally," expressing this view.

Spokesperson Bae stated, "We fully understand the concerns of many people," adding, "The worry comes from the 'long-standing experience' that giving up the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee will put the brakes on urgent reform legislation. We also deeply understand that it stems from a sense of crisis that nearly 180 seats will become useless."

However, regarding the current ruling and opposition agreement, spokesperson Bae said, "It was a difficult agreement, and it was overwhelmingly approved at the Democratic Party's general meeting," adding, "If this is reversed again, the Democratic Party will once again be labeled as an 'omnipotent anti-democratic ruling party' that has thrown away parliamentary principles and the spirit of bipartisan agreement."

Spokesperson Bae explained, "Until now, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee has acted as a 'kingmaker,' going beyond systematic and grammatical review to interfere with the substantive content of bills, frequently clashing with the relevant standing committees," and "It has been criticized as a 'de facto upper house,' exceeding the National Assembly Act by summoning even the relevant ministers to the National Assembly for urgent inquiries." He continued, "This ruling and opposition agreement strictly limits the functions of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to 'systematic and grammatical review' to prevent such overreach and abnormality, and shortens the period from 120 days to 60 days for bills passed to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to be submitted to the plenary session, thereby reducing malpractices," emphasizing that it is time to promptly proceed with reform legislation rather than reversing the agreement.

Spokesperson Bae said, "Before the reorganization of the National Assembly in the second half of May next year, we have the task of promptly processing reform legislation that has not yet been completed," adding, "We must properly and smoothly implement and conclude various reform policies promised to the public and party members, such as prosecution and media reform." He further stated, "Trust is built by keeping promises," and "When trust is the foundation, victory in the presidential election and regime re-creation are also possible."

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