Opposition Unilaterally Passes 'Democratic Merit Act' in Standing Committee Subcommittee... Government and Ruling Party Walk Out

The "Act on the Treatment of Democratic Meritorious Persons" (Democratic Meritorious Persons Act) passed the relevant standing committee subcommittee on the 4th, led by the opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, despite opposition from the government and the ruling party.

On the 4th, the Legislation Review Subcommittee 1 of the Political Affairs Committee held a meeting at the National Assembly, chaired by Chairman Kim Jong-min. The meeting discussed the Act on the Treatment of Democratic Meritorious Persons (Democratic Meritorious Persons Act) and other related matters. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee Bill Review Subcommittee 1 approved the Democratic Meritorious Persons Act solely by the Democratic Party, while members of the People Power Party and officials from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs had left the meeting.

Proposed by Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Won-sik, this bill stipulates that the state shall appropriately honor those who sacrificed or contributed to the democratization movement, as well as their bereaved families and relatives. Specifically, the government is to provide education support, employment support, medical support, loans, elderly care support, and childcare support to them.

Members of the Political Affairs Committee from the People Power Party held a press conference immediately after the subcommittee's decision, stating, "This is a 'law to elevate the status of my side' and a 'law to produce fake meritorious persons,' designed by the mainstream 586 activist faction of the Democratic Party to designate only their own side as meritorious persons." They added, "We will resist the Democratic Party's legislative monopoly with all our might, including requesting the President to exercise the veto power."

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