Ruling and opposition parties unite before Sujae, discuss 5+5 consultative body related laws... "Unified voice on recovery and permanent measures"

Possibility of Processing the River Act, etc. at the Environment and Labor Committee on the 26th
Standing Committee to Hold Another Meeting on the 31st After Discussions

On the 26th, the ruling and opposition parties held the first meeting of the flood recovery task force (TF) and reached a consensus to undertake flood recovery and establish permanent measures in the relevant standing committees. The ruling and opposition parties agreed to continue discussions on the 31st after in-depth deliberations in the related standing committees.

The first TF meeting was held at the National Assembly in a '5+5' format, with the chief deputy floor leaders of the People Power Party and the Democratic Party, as well as the ruling and opposition floor leaders of four flood-related standing committees: the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee; the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee; the Environment and Labor Committee; and the Public Administration and Security Committee.

Lee Yang-su, chief deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, told reporters after the TF meeting, "We agreed to achieve results in legislation related to flood recovery and permanent measures through in-depth discussions." Song Ki-heon, chief deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, explained, "Both parties agreed to actively cooperate so that the consultative body can be of practical help, and the specific legislative contents will be discussed and submitted by the floor leaders of each standing committee."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chief Deputy Song said, "There may be results in the Environment and Labor Committee today," adding, "After the afternoon meeting, if there are good outcomes, I think it can be processed in the plenary session tomorrow." The Environment and Labor Committee planned to hold a subcommittee and a full committee meeting that day to discuss the enactment of the Urban Stream Basin Flood Damage Prevention Act (Urban Flood Act) and amendments to the River Act. These two bills had been pointed out as delayed items following the recent heavy rains.

At the open meeting that day, the chief deputy floor leaders and floor leaders of both parties expressed their commitment to efforts to respond to the climate crisis and prevent flood damage.

Im E-ja, the People Power Party floor leader of the Environment and Labor Committee, said, "There was tremendous damage to crops due to this flood," and added, "I hope that both parties will put their heads together with sincerity rather than political strife to quickly come up with measures to support those who suffered crop damage from the flood."

Kang Byung-won, the Democratic Party floor leader of the Public Administration and Security Committee, introduced, "Given the recent flood patterns, it is difficult to deny the impact of the climate crisis. We have prepared three disaster safety laws because a completely new disaster safety manual is needed to prepare for the climate crisis era."

Jeong Hee-yong, a People Power Party lawmaker, said, "A special disaster area has been declared, but the support standards for special disaster areas need to be raised and supported," adding, "We need to increase support to raise insurance subscription rates and ensure practical benefits." He also said, "Through training, like civil defense drills, disaster-related public guidelines should be sufficiently communicated not only to public officials but also to the public."

Yoon Jun-byung, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "River management is especially important for prevention, but local governments handle much of it," adding, "Since provinces and basic local governments still lack investment capacity, the central government needs to strengthen its support capacity." He also urged, "Regarding damage compensation, the government's support and recovery measures fall short of the level of daily recovery, so damage compensation standards should be established to the extent possible."

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