Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Again Over Committee Formation... 'Gwabangwi Battle' Becomes a Flashpoint

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The ruling and opposition parties, negotiating for the original composition until Constitution Day, clashed again on the distribution of standing committees on the 13th.

In particular, both sides showed an uncompromising stance regarding the Science, Technology, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, making the 'battle for the Science and Broadcasting Committee' a last-minute flashpoint between the ruling and opposition parties.

After the meeting failed, Jin Seong-jun, the senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, who held a press conference first, stated, "To protect the freedom and independence of broadcasting and the press, the Democratic Party must hold onto the Science and Broadcasting Committee."

He also argued that the exclusion of Han Sang-hyuk, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, from the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's Cabinet meeting attendance list reveals the People Power Party's intention to seize control of broadcasting.

Jin also expressed the position that the Democratic Party must firmly defend the Public Administration and Security Committee, which oversees the police, along with the Science and Broadcasting Committee. The Democratic Party is opposing the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's push to establish a Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, viewing it as an attempt to 'seize control of the police.'

In other words, the Democratic Party's stance is that if they secure the Science and Broadcasting Committee and the Public Administration and Security Committee, they are willing to concede other standing committees such as the Judiciary Committee, which they previously claimed should be theirs, and also yield the Steering Committee.

Following this, Song Eon-seok, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, called the Democratic Party's position "a completely unreasonable claim."

He argued, "It is absurd to say that the ruling party should naturally take the chairmanships of the Judiciary and Steering Committees, and then claim that they are conceding those positions in exchange for taking the Public Administration and Security Committee and the Science and Broadcasting Committee."

He added, "According to long-standing parliamentary practice, the chairmanships of the Judiciary and Steering Committees should naturally be held by the People Power Party, and the Public Administration and Security Committee and the Science and Broadcasting Committee, which are fundamental to the functions and organization of the state, should also naturally be held by the People Power Party."

In a subsequent Q&A session, Song pointed out that during the previous five years of the former administration, the media environment was described as a 'tilted playing field,' and emphasized, "For a fair, objective, and neutral media environment, the ruling party should take charge of the Science and Broadcasting Committee."

However, regarding the Public Administration and Security Committee, he left room for negotiation, saying, "There have been discussions about the willingness to concede it to facilitate the overall original composition."

The People Power Party, especially emphasizing the importance of defending the Science and Broadcasting Committee, stated its intention to block the Media Arbitration Act, which the Democratic Party tried to push through unilaterally during the first half of the National Assembly session.

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