Science and ICT Committee's Departmental Reports Also 'Half-Done', All People Power Party Members Absent

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Although the ruling and opposition parties ended the 53-day parliamentary hiatus, the Science, Technology, Information and Communications Committee, which deals with the improvement of public broadcasting governance, remains in a deadlock. Following the first plenary session on the 27th, the ruling party People Power Party’s eight members boycotted the briefing on the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Communications Commission, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission on the 29th, resulting in a disruption.

On the 29th at 10 a.m., the Committee held its second plenary session to receive reports from the relevant ministries. Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT, Chairman Han Sang-hyuk of the Korea Communications Commission, and Chairman Yoo Guk-hee of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission attended and reported on current issues. However, the briefing became a ‘half-meeting.’ This was because the People Power Party had earlier declared a full boycott of the agenda, accusing Committee Chairperson Jeong Cheong-rae of pushing ahead with the meeting unilaterally without bipartisan agreement. A People Power Party official said, “The chairperson is pushing forward as he pleases without coordinating the schedule. We cannot attend under these circumstances.” Previously, People Power Party members also boycotted the first plenary session on the 27th. As a result, only lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea and independent lawmaker Park Wan-joo attended, appointing only the opposition floor leader. This confrontation was anticipated since the ruling and opposition parties fiercely contested the chairperson position of the committee until the final stages of the second half parliamentary organization negotiations.

The Committee is expected to see sharp conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties over the improvement of public broadcasting governance and the term of Chairman Han Sang-hyuk of the Korea Communications Commission. The relevant ministries find themselves in a position of merely watching the ‘turf war’ between the parties. They are expending effort on a schedule that is idling without proper coordination. A ministry official said, “We are trying to adjust the schedule according to the committee’s atmosphere, but it is not easy,” adding, “For the implementation of national tasks, legal amendments must be supported, but due to the partisan conflict, legislative discussions are not even happening, and the official appointment of the ruling party floor leader and the formation of subcommittees within the standing committee are likely to be delayed.”

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