Lee Jong-bae, Budget Committee Chair: "Democratic Party's Supplementary Budget Approval Was a Rush... Seriously Considering Resigning as Chair"

Democratic Party's Supplementary Budget Approval Violates National Assembly Act
Legal Action to Be Considered If Not Re-discussed Through Proper Procedures

Lee Jong-bae, Chairman of the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee, is speaking on the 18th at the Budget Committee Chairman's office in Yeouido, Seoul, as Democratic Party Budget Committee members, including Whip Maeng Seong-gyu, urge the resumption of the full Budget Committee meeting.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Lee Jong-bae, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, announced on the 19th that he is considering resigning from his position in protest against the Democratic Party of Korea's unilateral passage of the supplementary budget. Lee criticized the passage of the supplementary budget bill as a violation of the National Assembly Act and an act that destroys democratic order.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office on the same day, Lee said, "The Democratic Party of Korea abruptly passed the first supplementary budget for 2022 by a surprise vote at 2 a.m. today," adding, "This betrays the public's trust in budget processing based on democratic consensus and, furthermore, violates the National Assembly Act, rendering the meeting itself fundamentally nonexistent."

He urged, "I strongly call on the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Democratic Party to take measures to have the supplementary budget re-approved by the Budget and Accounts Committee through proper procedures," and said, "We will pursue all possible legal actions, including constitutional lawsuits and injunctions to suspend effectiveness based on disputes over authority." Lee also stated, "I want to express that I am seriously considering resigning from the chairmanship as I feel devastated and ashamed by this situation where the majority party's forceful passage took place."

He raised procedural issues regarding the supplementary budget approval by the Budget and Accounts Committee. Lee said, "Proper notice was not given, making it impossible for opposition members, including the People Power Party and independent members, to attend," and added, "The National Assembly Act stipulates that even in urgent cases, the 'date and time of the meeting' must be notified and the meeting convened accordingly. However, Democratic Party Budget and Accounts Committee Secretary Maeng Sung-kyu illegally acted as acting chairman and held a meeting at 2 a.m. without notifying the meeting time, allowing only Democratic Party members to attend and forcibly passing the supplementary budget."

He also denied refusing or avoiding the meeting proceedings. He said, "I did not refuse or avoid conducting the meeting," and explained, "Since the Democratic Party and the People Power Party each requested to convene the meeting at different times, I requested the committee secretaries from both parties to consult and decide the meeting time in accordance with the National Assembly Act." He claimed, "The Democratic Party falsely accused me of refusing or avoiding the meeting because the meeting was not held at the time they requested, thereby infringing on the procedural authority of the Budget and Accounts Committee chairman granted by the National Assembly Act."

Furthermore, regarding the supplementary budget, Lee explained, "I met with the committee secretaries several times and made every effort to narrow the differences between the two parties' opinions, and planned to create an agreement through the final committee secretaries' consultation at 10 a.m. today."

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