"No Legislative Domination by the Opposition" Judiciary Committee Halts Direct Referral of Grain Management Act to Plenary Session

Democratic Party "60 Days Passed Since Standing Committee Approval...
Only Need to Reach Plenary Session, Why Debate Now?"
People Power Party "There Is a Contradiction" Direct Referral to Legislation and Judiciary Committee

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 16th, the ruling and opposition parties clashed once again at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee over the issue of submitting the Grain Management Act amendment bill to the plenary session. The Democratic Party expressed regret, stating that the Grain Management Act is a bill that has already passed the relevant standing committee and should be submitted to the plenary session according to National Assembly procedures, but it was resubmitted to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. On the other hand, the People Power Party strongly opposed the opposition party's legislative dominance, arguing that the Grain Management Act has not only procedural problems but also contradictions in its content.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ki Dong-min, the opposition party secretary of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party, said at the committee's full meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, "I cannot understand that the chairman submitted the Grain Management Act bill ex officio despite no agreement between the ruling and opposition party secretaries." He pointed out, "It has been 60 days since the bill was approved by the standing committee, yet it was submitted to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee without any special reason. The legal basis is unclear, so I cannot accept or understand why they are now asking to discuss the Grain Management Act at the full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee."

According to the National Assembly Act, if a specific bill under review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee is stalled without discussion for 60 days, it can be submitted to the plenary session if more than three-fifths of the total members of the relevant standing committee agree, even without agreement between the ruling and opposition parties. At the end of last year, the Democratic Party unilaterally passed a motion at the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee to refer the Grain Management Act amendment bill directly to the plenary session, bypassing the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Out of 19 total members, 12 voted in favor and 7 abstained; at that time, independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang, originally from the Democratic Party, joined to meet the quorum. The People Power Party criticized the mobilization of lawmaker Yoon as a 'trick' while all members abstained.

Democratic Party lawmakers did not hide their discomfort over the fact that the Grain Management Act, which passed the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, was being discussed again in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, emphasizing the National Assembly Act.

Rep. Ki said, "(The Grain Management Act) is a matter that should go through the plenary session submission procedure," and criticized the ruling party, saying, "It is necessary to clearly explain whether you are trying to build a legal basis or trying to create reasons for justification and avoidance."

Rep. Kim Seung-won from the same party also criticized, saying, "The Grain Management Act is a bill that the relevant standing committee decided to submit to the plenary session," and added, "Suddenly, the chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee submitted it ex officio, which does not violate the National Assembly Act but goes against the purpose of the amendment." He emphasized, "It is right to allow a vote to reject the bill at the plenary session in January according to the National Assembly Act."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the People Power Party rebutted by pointing out procedural problems and substantive defects in the Grain Management Act's passage through the standing committee.

Jung Jeom-sik, the ruling party secretary of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the People Power Party, said, "The bill itself is still pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee," and added, "Until the Speaker of the National Assembly decides whether to directly submit it to the plenary session, there is still a legal basis for the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to review it."

Rep. Cho Soo-jin from the same party said, "There were serious procedural defects when passing the standing committee," recalling that independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang supported the bill during the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee's direct referral vote. Rep. Cho criticized, "To meet the three-fifths quorum of the standing committee for a trick to directly refer the bill to the plenary session, they used a 'nominal independent' member."

On the day, Kim Do-eup, chairman of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said, "As the chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, I thought that the problems inherent in the Grain Management Act should not be allowed to pass the plenary session solely by the Democratic Party," and added, "I could not just stand by while the Democratic Party put the Grain Management Act on a track for unilateral passage. I submitted it alone to the committee out of a sincere desire to at least block its passage as is."

The Grain Management Act amendment bill mandates the government to compulsorily purchase rice if the rice price falls by more than 5% or if the excess production exceeds 3% of rice demand. The Democratic Party has pushed this as a party policy to stabilize rice prices and unilaterally passed it at the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, the relevant standing committee, at the end of last year. However, the government and the ruling party oppose it, arguing that compulsory rice purchases would require billions of won in annual taxes and could encourage overproduction of rice.

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