Ruling and Opposition Parties Divided Standing Committees... But Non-Negotiating Groups Still Have No Choice

Minor Parties Begin Sit-in Protest Demanding 'Standing Committee Reassignment'
'Less Than 20 Members' Non-negotiating Groups Lack Request Authority

On the 22nd, Justice Party lawmaker Bae Jin-gyo (left) and Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hye-in (right) are holding a protest sit-in at the rotunda hall of the National Assembly main building. [Photo by Justice Party, Basic Income Party]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] After a 53-day power struggle, the ruling and opposition parties have completed the formation of the National Assembly for the second half of the year. However, the minor parties, Justice Party and Basic Income Party, which are non-negotiating groups, began a protest sit-in, claiming they had no choice in the process of forming standing committees. This fully exposed the current state of the National Assembly centered on the two major parties.

Why Minor Parties Demand 'Reallocation of Standing Committees'

On the 22nd, the National Assembly held a plenary session and completed the election of chairpersons for 18 standing committees as well as the formation of the Special Committee on Political Reform and the Special Committee on Pension Reform. The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which had been in a tense standoff, agreed to take turns chairing the Public Administration and Security Committee (People Power Party) and the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee (Democratic Party) for one year each. It was also decided that the People Power Party would chair the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, while the Democratic Party would chair the Special Committee on Judicial Reform.

However, in this process, the non-negotiating groups?Justice Party, Basic Income Party, and Transition Korea?had virtually no choice. Accordingly, Justice Party lawmaker Bae Jin-gyo and Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hye-in have been continuing a sit-in protest in the National Assembly’s Rotunda Hall since the 22nd, demanding 'reallocation of standing committees.' On the 23rd, Lawmaker Yong said, "As a minor party lawmaker, the only way to assert my will was to fight physically," adding, "Returning to the Strategy and Finance Committee is a desperate matter for me."

Lee Dong-young, spokesperson for the Justice Party’s emergency committee, also protested on the 22nd, saying, "Lawmaker Bae hoped for the Political Affairs Committee, Lawmaker Ryu Ho-jeong for the Industry, Trade and Energy Committee, and Lawmaker Kang Eun-mi for the Women and Family Committee as a secondary standing committee, but the Speaker of the National Assembly unilaterally assigned them to other standing committees without any consultation or coordination with the Justice Party’s floor leadership or the respective lawmakers."

The 'Wall of 20' That Decides Standing Committee Request Rights

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the National Assembly Act, a party with 20 or more members becomes a negotiating group. Minor parties can form a negotiating group if they combine to reach 20 members, but the Justice Party, Basic Income Party, and Transition Korea together do not reach 20 members.

Negotiating groups and non-negotiating groups have different levels of authority within the National Assembly. First, when forming standing committees, the Speaker appoints chairpersons and members upon the request of each negotiating group’s representative lawmaker. For lawmakers not belonging to a negotiating group, the Speaker appoints members directly, so they have no right to request their preferred standing committee.

Non-negotiating groups also cannot appoint committee secretaries. Article 50, Paragraph 1 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that "each negotiating group shall appoint one secretary per committee."

Even 'Labor Specialist' Lawmakers Blocked from Participating in Labor Legislation

This issue has been identified as a chronic problem within the National Assembly. During the 19th National Assembly, when Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung was excluded from the Environment and Labor Committee, controversy arose, leading the ruling and opposition floor leaders to amend the National Assembly regulations to increase the number of committee members so she could remain on the Environment and Labor Committee.

Additionally, non-negotiating groups are excluded from participating in discussions on major legislation, budget bills, and National Assembly schedule coordination, and they cannot choose the order of plenary sessions or government questioning, nor the seating arrangement in the plenary hall, thus being excluded from key authorities.

While this can enhance efficiency in legislation and other decision-making processes, it limits the possibility of representing diverse public opinions. Especially in the process of discussing highly contentious bills, decisions are likely to align with the ruling or majority party’s stance.

In fact, a lawmaker from a minor party said before the formation of standing committees, "I want to join the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to participate in discussions on bills like the Anti-Discrimination Act, but I cannot plan because I don’t know which non-negotiating party will get a seat." Another official from a minor party lamented, "For progressive parties, passing legislation on labor and welfare is important, but it’s doubtful whether we can even secure a single seat on the relevant committees."

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