Strong Opposition Party Reaction to Veto of Nursing Act: "First Time a President Denies a Campaign Promise"

Park Kwang-on "The Gridlocked Political Situation Will Get Even Worse"
Yoon Jae-ok "I Will Consult with the Opposition on Reconsideration Votes and More"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's exercise of the veto power on the Nursing Act bill passed by the National Assembly has sparked strong opposition from opposition parties, who accused him of trampling on parliamentary principles. The People Power Party announced that it would enter into consultation procedures with the opposition regarding the re-vote on the Nursing Act.

On the 16th, Kim Han-kyu, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "President Yoon's veto on the Nursing Act is a 'hypocrisy' that only superficially cares about the medical system, an 'incompetence' that fails to fulfill campaign promises, and an 'arrogance' that ignores the legislative authority of the National Assembly," urging, "We hope he withdraws the veto even now."

Spokesperson Kim added, "While we have seen presidents who failed to fulfill their campaign promises, this is the first time a president has outright denied a promise," and introduced, "In the last presidential election, all citizens saw that President Yoon Suk-yeol and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong promised to enact the Nursing Act. President Yoon pledged to do his best for the enactment of the Nursing Act during a meeting with nurses from the Nursing Association on January 11, 2022, and Won Hee-ryong, then head of the policy headquarters of the election campaign, also promised the enactment of the Nursing Act to the Nursing Association on January 24, 2022."

Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party, criticized at a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly, "The role of the government and ruling party is to mediate conflicts and create social consensus, not to incite division," adding, "The government and ruling party are not only denying their own campaign promises but are also dividing the people?farmers, workers, nurses, doctors, and nursing assistants alike?and worsening social confusion." Park warned, "If this continues, it will be difficult for the people who have to endure the remaining four years to have hope with peace of mind," and said, "The president should be the president of all the people. Repeated use of the veto will only further block an already deadlocked political situation."

Kim Min-seok, chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, criticized President Yoon's veto as "nothing but a brute show of force trampling on parliamentary principles." Kim said, "How else can we explain the president and his close aides lying that their promises, which they have spoken about directly and left on record, are not promises and distorting facts, other than as a show of force against the National Assembly?" He condemned, "It has once again become clear that while President Yoon may have power, he lacks common sense, logic, and honesty."

President Yoon Suk-yeol Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Sung-joo, senior deputy chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, responded to concerns that the Nursing Act could cause confusion in the medical field by saying, "The government, which has been the main cause of conflict and confusion by failing to solve the shortage of doctors while being cautious of doctors under the current Medical Service Act system, pushing nurses into illegal medical practices, and neglecting discriminatory treatment of nursing assistants, is now falsely blaming the Nursing Act, which has just passed the National Assembly and has not yet been implemented." He warned, "The exercise of the veto will not resolve conflicts but will amplify them."

With the veto on the Nursing Act exercised, the ruling party has expressed its intention to consult with the opposition on subsequent procedures. Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, said after a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly, "Regarding the re-vote on the Nursing Act, including the timing of the vote and how to handle the bill between the two parties before the vote, I will communicate with the Democratic Party's floor leadership."

The Nursing Act is expected to undergo the re-vote procedure at the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 25th. Previously, the Grain Management Act, on which President Yoon also exercised his veto, proceeded to a plenary vote but was rejected with 177 votes in favor and 112 against. For a re-vote bill to pass, a majority of the total members must be present, and at least two-thirds of the members present must vote in favor.

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