Minsheng Economy Special Committee to Hold 'Final Meeting' on the 25th... Will They Approve the Delivery Price Linkage System?

Ryu Seong-geol, Special Committee Chairman, States... Adjusting Differences Between Ruling and Opposition on Agenda
Opposition: "Will Not Hesitate to Pass Delivery Price Linkage System Alone"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Special Committee on Livelihood Economy Stabilization in the National Assembly, whose activity period ends later this month, is strongly considering holding its final meeting on the 25th, right after the national audit.

Ryu Seong-geol, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the Special Committee on Livelihood Economy, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 18th, "We plan to hold the National Assembly Livelihood Special Committee meeting on the afternoon of the 25th," adding, "If the ruling and opposition parties finally agree on the agenda, we will prepare for it."

However, he explained that whether any agenda items will be raised at the committee is still under discussion between the ruling and opposition parties. He said, "Since we discussed everything last time, if we hold a meeting now, it will be to raise agenda items and vote on them," and added, "As far as I know, no agreement has been reached yet between the parties."

Previously, the Special Committee on Livelihood Economy was established to discuss livelihood-related issues until the 31st, but the ruling and opposition parties failed to narrow their differences and entered the national audit period, during which no meetings were held for some time.

Agenda items requiring discussion include the linkage system for delivery prices, the safe freight rate system for cargo trucks, and refunds or deductions for public transportation costs. In particular, the delivery price linkage system was commonly included in both parties' "Top 10 Priority Bills for the Regular National Assembly" and "7 Legislative Tasks," so it was predicted that a broad agreement would be reached.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, as the ruling and opposition parties showed differences over the criteria for applying the linkage system, the possibility of agreement became uncertain. Meanwhile, on this day, the Democratic Party suggested pushing through the bill. Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, held a meeting with small and medium-sized business owners at the National Assembly and said, "If persuasion of the ruling party fails until the end, the Democratic Party, which holds the standing committee chairmanship, should handle it alone," emphasizing, "There are about 12 days left until the deadline of the Special Committee on Livelihood Economy, and we urge the government and ruling party to come to the negotiation table responsibly."

On the other hand, the ruling party showed caution, saying that there are differences in opinions among related ministries and more time is needed for discussion. Chairman Ryu said, "The Ministry of SMEs and Startups intends to conduct a pilot implementation while processing simultaneously, but the Fair Trade Commission wants to conduct the pilot first and then decide after reviewing the results," adding, "We previously requested a unified government opinion, but it has not yet been provided."

However, the party secretaries from both sides denied that the schedule agreement had been finalized. Kim Seong-hwan, opposition party secretary and Democratic Party lawmaker, said in a phone interview, "We have not received anything," and Kim Jeong-jae, ruling party secretary and People Power Party lawmaker, also said, "The meeting can only be held if the ruling and opposition parties agree on the agenda."

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