Strong Opposition from the Opposition Party to the Nursing Act Veto... Lee Jae-myung Says "President Yoon Must Apologize for Breaking His Pledge" (Comprehensive)

Park Kwang-on "The Deadlocked Political Situation Will Get Even Worse"
Yoon Jae-ok "I Will Consult with the Opposition on Re-voting and Other Matters"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's exercise of the right to request reconsideration (veto) 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. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, called it a "broken campaign promise" and demanded a public apology. The People Power Party announced that it would enter consultation procedures with the opposition regarding the re-vote on the Nursing Act.

On the 16th, at a 'Youth Farmers Field Meeting' held in Juksan-myeon, Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Lee said, "As all citizens know, the enactment of the Nursing Act was a campaign promise of President Yoon during his presidential candidacy," adding, "The president broke his promise and exercised his veto on the Nursing Act passed by the National Assembly, despite having no objective circumstances that would prevent him from keeping the promise." He argued, "If the promise was wrong, then the president should naturally explain the specific circumstances to the public and apologize for making such a wrong promise."

He warned, "In a democratic country, politicians make promises to the people and are entrusted with authority," adding, "Trust is the most important foundation supporting democracy. Empty promises and broken promises are acts that destroy democracy and challenge it."

Lee stated, "Democracy cannot be maintained when trust collapses," and criticized, "Politics that destroy constitutional order and break promises while ignoring the sovereign people should never exist." He said, "The president should explain the reasons for breaking the promise in a way that the public can accept and apologize to the people for breaking the promise," adding, "The enactment of the Nursing Act was also a promise of the Democratic Party. We will continue to make every effort to enact the Nursing Act, which was a common promise of both parties."

Kim Han-gyu, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, said on the same day, "President Yoon's veto on the Nursing Act is a 'hypocrisy' that only appears to care for the medical system, 'incompetence' in failing to fulfill promises, and 'arrogance' in ignoring the legislative power of the National Assembly," urging, "We hope he will withdraw the veto even now."

Spokesperson Kim introduced, "While we have seen presidents who failed to fulfill promises, this is the first time a president has outright denied a promise. 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 promised to do his best to enact 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 presidential campaign, also promised the enactment of the Nursing Act to the Nursing Association on January 24, 2022."

Park Kwang-on, the Democratic Party floor leader, 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 promote division," adding, "The government and ruling party are not only denying their own promises but are also dividing the people and worsening social confusion by splitting nurses, doctors, and nursing assistants, following farmers and workers." Park warned, "If this continues, it will be difficult for the people who have to endure the remaining four years to have hope with a peaceful mind," and said, "The president should be the president of all the people. Repeated vetoes will further block an already deadlocked political situation."

Kim Min-seok, chairman of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, criticized President Yoon's veto as "a mere show of force that tramples on parliamentary principles." Kim said, "How else can we explain President Yoon and his close aides lying that the promises, which he himself and his aides have spoken about 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 been revealed that President Yoon may have power, but 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 culprit 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 accusing the Nursing Act, which has just passed the National Assembly and has not yet been implemented," warning, "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 issue of the re-vote on the Nursing Act and the timing of the vote, as well as how to handle the bill before the vote, we will communicate with the Democratic Party's floor leadership."

The Nursing Act is expected to undergo the reconsideration 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, went through a plenary vote but was rejected with 177 votes in favor and 112 against. For a reconsideration bill to pass, a majority of the total members must be present, and at least two-thirds of those present must vote in favor.

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