The Legislation and Judiciary Committee Passes River Act... Afternoon Plenary Session Expected to Follow

With Bipartisan Agreement, Expansion of Local Stream Management Funding
From Passing the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to the Plenary Session Without Consideration Period

The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a plenary session on the morning of the 27th and passed the River Act amendment (committee chairman's alternative).

The River Act amendment passed by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on this day mainly stipulates that not only national rivers but also local river sections will be supported by national finances.

This bill, which was expedited in response to flood damage at the Osong underpass and along the Geum River, passed the Environment and Labor Committee plenary session the day before. Although the five-day deliberation period had not passed, it was referred to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee due to the urgency of the matter. However, the Urban River Basin Flood Damage Prevention Measures Act (Urban Flood Act), which also passed the Environment and Labor Committee the previous day, was not presented and will continue to be discussed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Do-eup, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, stated at the meeting, "Securing flood safety is urgent, and the state must carry out river construction on local river sections that have high connectivity with national rivers to prevent disasters."

At the meeting, the committee members conveyed to the Ministry of Environment to keep in mind that this bill aims to prevent repeated flood damage in the future.

Park Hyung-soo, a member from the People Power Party, said, "Construction on all sections must start quickly," adding, "There is a risk of another breach if done step-by-step, so it is necessary to invest resources intensively."

Kim Young-bae, a member from the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out that the Ministry of Environment should not evade responsibility. Chairman Kim also emphasized, "With the passage of this law, we must be able to produce results that show its effectiveness."

Lim Sang-jun, Vice Minister of Environment, said, "We have not evaded responsibility. The Ministry of Environment holds the final responsibility for water management," but added, "Although a warning was issued eight hours prior and a phone notification was made two hours before, the failure to control emergency vehicles led to casualties, which one public official deeply regrets."

The River Act, which passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, is expected to be finally approved at the plenary session held in the afternoon.

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