Impact of Heavy Rainfall, National Assembly Schedule and Ruling-Opposition Conflicts Halted

Agreement to Postpone Questions on Yangpyeong Expressway Issues Between Ruling and Opposition Parties
Opposition Criticizes President Yoon's Ukraine Visit as "Regrettable"

As the nationwide flood damage situation worsens due to heavy rain, scheduled National Assembly agendas are being postponed.

The ruling and opposition parties had planned to conduct a current issue inquiry with Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, at the full meeting of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee scheduled for the 17th, but they agreed to postpone it. For now, the policy is to focus all efforts on flood damage recovery support.

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is visiting the landslide site in Beolbang-ri, Gamcheon-myeon, Yecheon-gun, Gyeongbuk Province on the afternoon of the 16th to inspect the damage situation. 2023.7.16 [Image source=Yonhap News]

Leaders of both parties visited flood damage sites in Goesan and Osong, Chungbuk, to inspect the damage and promised swift support for recovery, including designation of special disaster zones.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the accident site at Gungpyeong 2nd Underpass in Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk, where casualties occurred due to flooding on the 16th.

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, and other floor leaders visited Yecheon area in Gyeongbuk, which suffered heavy damage from the heavy rain. Kim Ki-hyun, who returned from a trip to the U.S. on the 16th, will visit flood damage sites in the Chungcheong region on the 17th.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is visiting farms affected by heavy rain in Goesan County, Chungbuk on the 16th. 2023.7.16 / Provided by the Democratic Party [Image source=Yonhap News]

Although both ruling and opposition parties are maintaining a mood of refraining from political clashes, the Democratic Party criticizes President Yoon Seok-yeol for visiting Ukraine, which was not scheduled, amid severe domestic flood damage.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-wook said in a YTN radio interview on the 17th, "Both members of the National Assembly and the president are elected officials, so I hope they act where the people want them to act," adding, "One of the most important duties of the state is to protect the lives and safety of its people, and when there is a gap in that area and the president is absent, it is quite disheartening."

He pointed out, "Nowadays, we live in an internet era with good video conferencing, but from the perspective of people affected by disasters and concerned citizens, they cannot help but express worries and frustration, wondering 'What is our president doing?'"

Regarding the visit to Ukraine, he criticized, "Considering that our country is the world's only divided nation and that people are getting hurt in Korea, it is somewhat regrettable and wrong to choose to visit a country at war."

However, on the issue of canceling the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, which had been a point of intense confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties, he said, "It could be perceived as political strife by the public, so I suggested to the People Power Party to postpone it, and the party made the decision to postpone."

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