Conflict Between Ruling and Opposition Over 'Lee Jae-myung's Reform Legislation'... Opposition Opposes December Extraordinary Session Convening

The Democratic Party Submits Request to Convene December Extraordinary Session
Opposition: "An Act to Pass the 'Lee Jae-myung Command Law'"

[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Lee Hyun-joo] On the 9th, the Democratic Party of Korea, together with the Justice Party and the Open Democratic Party, submitted a request to convene a December extraordinary session of the National Assembly. They intend to complete the pending key bills, known as the ‘Lee Jae-myung reform legislation,’ which were not processed during the regular session ending that day, by holding the extraordinary session. However, opposition parties criticize this as a legislative dictatorship stage for candidate Lee, forecasting difficulties ahead.

Yoon Ho-jung, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 9th and is talking with Han Byung-do, deputy floor leader, during the meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Yoon Ho-jung, the Democratic Party floor leader, said at the policy coordination meeting that morning, "Given the serious spread of COVID-19, we will carefully monitor the execution of the budget and bills to fully focus on restoring people’s livelihoods." Shin Hyun-young, the party’s floor spokesperson, also told reporters after the meeting, "As candidate Lee Jae-myung has requested, bold financial support is necessary," adding, "Especially regarding support for small business owners, the party must make every effort, which is why we submitted the request to convene the extraordinary session."

At the final plenary session of the regular National Assembly held that afternoon, the Democratic Party’s proposed ‘Daejang-dong Prevention Laws’ are expected to be passed. These include the ‘Urban Development Act Amendment,’ which limits private profits in urban development projects, and the ‘Housing Act Amendment,’ which applies price caps to public-private joint development projects. While these two bills are expected to pass smoothly, another Daejang-dong prevention bill, the ‘Development Profit Recovery Act,’ failed to reach the plenary session due to lack of bipartisan agreement. The Democratic Party plans to pass this bill along with others, such as the introduction of labor directors in public institutions, during the extraordinary session.

The People Power Party immediately opposed the request to convene the extraordinary session. Floor leader Kim Ki-hyun told party members, "The request to convene the extraordinary session is an attempt at legislative overreach and parliamentary dictatorship, with a clear political intent to pass the ‘Lee Jae-myung command law.’ Please maintain vigilance to respond swiftly in this emergency situation." The People Power Party also harshly criticized the fact that the ‘Daejang-dong Special Prosecutor Act’ was not even submitted to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Kim pointed out at the morning campaign committee meeting, "Even last Tuesday (the 7th), I personally met with Yoon Ho-jung, the Democratic Party floor leader, to propose discussions on introducing the special prosecutor law, but there has been no response until now."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During the plenary session that day, 111 bills were also passed, including the amendment to the Commercial Building Lease Protection Act, which cleared the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the amendment to the Act on the Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds, one of the laws to prevent the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) scandal, and the amendment to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, which raises the value limit for holiday gifts of agricultural and marine processed products from the current 100,000 won to 200,000 won. Before the plenary session, the first meeting of the ‘Political Reform Special Committee’ (Jeonggae Special Committee) was held in the morning. At this meeting, both ruling and opposition parties discussed adjusting the eligibility age for candidacy, currently set at 25 years old, and the delineation of electoral districts for next year’s local elections.

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