與 "Press Arbitration Act to Pass Anytime" 野 "Effectively Out of Reach"

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Lee Hyun-joo] The ruling and opposition parties failed to pass the amendment to the Media Arbitration Act in the September National Assembly session, deciding instead to form a special committee with equal representation from both sides by the end of the year to address overall issues related to ‘media reform,’ including the Media Arbitration Act. While the Democratic Party assessed that the bill, still pending, "can be passed at any time," the People Power Party implied that the bill’s passage within the year is virtually impossible, marking the failure of its enactment this year.

On the 30th, Yoon Ho-jung, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the policy coordination meeting, "Although the ruling and opposition parties could not pass the fake news relief law as scheduled yesterday (29th), it is still pending in the plenary session," adding, "Moreover, the formation of a special committee to improve media and broadcasting systems, covering the Information and Communications Network Act, Broadcasting Act, Newspaper Act, and other media-related systems, is very significant." He emphasized, "This truly marks the opening of the Moon Jae-in administration’s Media Reform Season 1," and stated, "Even if the opposition party takes a passive stance, we will persuade them well to complete media reform."

Shin Hyun-young, the party’s floor spokesperson, told reporters after the meeting, "The special committee will be formed including three standing committees: the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, and the Judiciary Committee," and added, "The Media Arbitration Act is currently pending in the Judiciary Committee, so it can be passed at any time."

On the other hand, the People Power Party believes it will be difficult to pass the Media Arbitration Act within this year. While they will partially cooperate in forming the special committee, they expect no effective measures to come out of it.

Choo Kyung-ho, senior floor leader of the People Power Party, said in a phone interview, "Since the special committee does not have the authority to review bills, it will likely be a forum to share opinions on bills at the idea level." There are also predictions that it will be difficult for the ruling and opposition parties, which have failed to narrow their differences despite multiple meetings of the eight-member consultative body, to reach an agreement ahead of the presidential election in March next year.

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