Deadlock in Ruling and Opposition Parties' Consultative Body... 'Stalemate' in Handling Livelihood Bills

Ruling and Opposition Parties Activate 2+2 Policy and Floor Leaders Council
Differences Persist... "Additional Consultations with Each Standing Committee's Secretaries"

The ruling and opposition parties have put their heads together to swiftly process livelihood bills, but have yet to achieve significant results. Despite pressing issues such as the postponement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act and the Special Act on Jeonse Fraud Victims, the parties are struggling to narrow their differences amid ongoing tensions.

On the afternoon of the 19th, Yoo Ui-dong, Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, Lee Yang-su, Chief Deputy Floor Leader, Lee Gae-ho, Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party, and Park Ju-min, Chief Deputy Floor Leader, held the third meeting of the '2+2 Consultative Body' at the National Assembly to discuss 10 bills proposed by each party. However, they failed to bridge their differences during the meeting and decided to continue discussions after consulting with the standing committee secretaries of each party.

Park Ju-min, Senior Deputy Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (from left), Lee Gae-ho, Chairman of the Policy Committee, Yoo Ui-dong, Chairman of the Policy Committee of the People Power Party, and Lee Yang-su, Senior Deputy Floor Leader, are taking a commemorative photo before the '2+2 Consultative Body' meeting held at the National Assembly on the 12th, then returning to their seats. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Immediately after the meeting, Chief Deputy Floor Leader Lee Yang-su told reporters, "Today, we had an in-depth discussion on the bills submitted by the People Power Party and the Democratic Party, and for those requiring additional measures, we agreed to discuss them with the secretaries of each standing committee." Chief Deputy Floor Leader Park Ju-min added, "Since we exchanged opinions broadly, I apologize that no consensus was reached. Further discussions between the standing committee secretaries and the Policy Committee are necessary."

Previously, in an earlier meeting, both parties selected and shared 10 bills each that they wished to expedite. The People Power Party proposed bills including ▲a two-year postponement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 regular employees ▲the Korea Development Bank Act for relocating the Industrial Bank headquarters to Busan ▲the Space and Aviation Agency Establishment Act ▲and the Dog Meat Consumption Prohibition Act.

The Democratic Party identified bills requiring swift processing such as ▲the Online Platform Act to prevent monopolies and unfair practices by online platforms ▲the Special Act on Jeonse Fraud Victims, emphasizing 'relief first, compensation later' ▲the Interest Rate Restriction Act, which invalidates contracts exceeding the legal interest rate for ordinary citizens ▲and the Act to Promote the Use of Local Love Gift Certificates to support small business owners.

Park Ju-min, the Chief Deputy Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (from the left), Lee Gae-ho, the Chairman of the Policy Committee, Yoo Ui-dong, the Chairman of the Policy Committee of the People Power Party, and Lee Yang-su, the Chief Deputy Floor Leader, are holding a '2+2 Consultative Body' meeting between the ruling and opposition parties at the National Assembly on the 12th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the 2+2 consultative meeting, both parties intend to coordinate their differences on these bills and reach an agreement as soon as possible. However, ongoing tensions suggest that negotiations will be difficult. In particular, the ruling party criticized the Democratic Party for forcibly passing the Regional Doctor System bill in the Health and Welfare Committee’s bill subcommittee and the Democratic Meritorious Service Act in the Political Affairs Committee.

Yoo Ui-dong, Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, referred to the opposition party’s bill processing, stating, "The recent series of events raises concerns that the 2+2 consultative body itself could become hollowed out." He emphasized, "Although these bills were passed unilaterally at the standing committee level, efforts must be made to ensure that the Legislative and Judiciary Committee recognizes these bills as subjects of the 2+2 consultative body and reviews them accordingly."

Lee Gae-ho, Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party, said, "We will continue to discuss matters together at the standing committee level while simultaneously deliberating within the 2+2 consultative body. Bills passed unilaterally by the Democratic Party at the standing committee will have opportunities for further discussion in the Legislative and Judiciary Committee." He added, "I hope we can first proceed with consultations on a few bills where the differences between the two parties are not significant and work toward reaching an agreement."

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