Passage of Space Aviation Agency Act Expected in Plenary Session... Major Accident Punishment Postponement Law Still 'Pending'

The National Assembly Plans to Pass Over 100 Bills on the Afternoon of the 9th
Including the Dog Meat Ban Act and the Itaewon Disaster Special Act Expected to be Passed

After great efforts, the Space Aviation Agency Establishment Act is expected to pass the plenary session of the National Assembly. However, the postponement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act has failed to find a consensus between the ruling and opposition parties, making it likely to be enforced starting from the 27th.

On the 9th, the National Assembly will hold a plenary session to process about 100 bills. During this session, the Space Aviation Agency Act, which will serve as Korea's version of NASA, will be addressed. By establishing the Government Organization Act and related laws, a ministry responsible for overseeing policies such as securing innovative technologies and fostering industries in the aerospace sector will be created. Although the bill was submitted by the government in April last year, it underwent intense debates between the ruling and opposition parties, followed by procedures such as the agenda adjustment committee, resulting in a bipartisan agreement. If the bill passes on this day, the Space Aviation Agency is expected to be established around late May this year. Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at the floor strategy meeting regarding the bill's passage, "The ruling party will spare no support to ensure that the Space Aviation Agency fully functions and significantly contributes to government space policies and the development of private technologies."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 9th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The amendment to the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances (Chemical Substances Act) is also expected to pass the plenary session. The amendment includes easing the registration threshold for new chemical substances from 100 kg to 1 ton per year when manufacturing or importing, which had been criticized as a "killer regulation." Additionally, the definition of toxic substances will be differentiated into acutely hazardous substances to humans, chronically hazardous substances to humans, and ecotoxic substances. The industry has long complained that even with small manufacturing or import volumes, registering hazard information requires considerable time and cost. The opposition parties have opposed this law citing public safety concerns.

The Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Act (CCUS) is also awaiting a vote in the plenary session. This law can serve as a fundamental law for capturing and storing carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change. Prior to this law, over 40 laws had to be applied for carbon dioxide capture and storage-related matters.

The Special Act on Undergrounding Railways and Integrated Development of Railway Sites, which allows for the use of related land for development projects to cover associated costs when railways are undergrounded, is also pending a vote in the plenary session.

The amendment to the Special Act on Regulatory Free Zones and Regional Specialized Development Zones, which expands the authority to apply for designation of regulatory free zones from metropolitan local government heads to heads of basic local governments, will also be discussed.

The Special Act on Ending the Breeding, Slaughter, and Distribution of Dogs for Food Purposes is also expected to be processed. The core of this bill prohibits raising, slaughtering, distributing, and selling dogs for food consumption.

The special law on the Itaewon tragedy is also expected to be brought to the plenary session. Although negotiations were held between the ruling and opposition parties under the mediation of National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, no final agreement was reached. Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly, "We will do our best to negotiate until just before the plenary session, but the situation is difficult," adding, "To keep our promise to the people, we will definitely pass the special law today." They are pushing for a last-minute agreement but intend to proceed with the opposition party alone if it fails. Currently, there are disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the investigative authority and appointment rights of the chairman of the Itaewon Tragedy Special Investigation Committee. Speaker Kim previously urged bipartisan agreement and postponed the bill's processing to this day during the last plenary session.

The re-vote on the double special prosecutor law, which had attracted attention, will not take place. Floor leader Hong said, "Former Presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee withdrew and announced their vetoes in the past," adding, "We will give President Yoon Seok-yeol some time for now."

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 9th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

However, many contentious bills discussed through the 2+2 negotiations (ruling and opposition policy chiefs and floor leaders) have not been brought to the plenary session and are still under discussion.

Bills to delay the application of the Serious Accident Punishment Act to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees are being postponed due to disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties. The parties have been discussing postponing the enforcement date by two years to 2026 but have failed to reach a consensus. The Democratic Party has presented prerequisites for processing the bill, including a government apology for inadequate preparation, concrete plans and financial support for industrial safety, and a promise from the business community that there will be no further extensions. Regarding this, the Democratic Party protested, saying, "Not a single condition has been met." With the ruling and opposition parties agreeing to hold a January extraordinary session, the possibility of further negotiations remains open.

Additionally, no agreement has been reached on other issues such as allowing online delivery during restricted business hours for large supermarkets under the Distribution Industry Development Act, the Special Act on High-Level Radioactive Waste Management, permitting telemedicine under the Medical Service Act, and abolishing the mandatory residence requirement for apartments under the price ceiling system.

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