Deadlock in Organizational Agreement Sparks Blame Game Between Ruling and Opposition Parties... Legislative Dictatorship vs. Presidential Caution

Battle Over Chairmanship of Legislation, Administration, and Science Committees
Choo Kyung-ho: "The Huge Opposition Recklessly Shows Off Its Power"
Park Chan-dae: "Delaying to Defend the President"

The 22nd National Assembly is engaged in a blame game over the distribution of standing committees, failing to reach an agreement. The People Power Party (PPP) claims that the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is trying to monopolize the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Steering Committee by ignoring precedents, leveraging their majority seats. On the other hand, the DPK criticizes the PPP for delaying the organization of the Assembly to protect the Presidential Office.

On the 5th, the National Assembly held its first plenary session and elected the Speaker and Deputy Speakers. However, since no agreement was reached on the organization of the Assembly and the session proceeded unilaterally, the PPP boycotted the vote. During a procedural speech, PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho criticized, "The public sentiment from the general election calls for the restoration of cooperation," adding, "The major opposition party is recklessly driving the Assembly by showing off its power." In response, DPK senior deputy floor leader Park Sung-joon countered, "The PPP is delaying the organization of the Assembly because they are wary of the Presidential Office," and vowed, "We will abide by the National Assembly Act."

Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, is giving an acceptance speech at the first plenary session of the 22nd National Assembly held at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The reason the PPP cannot give up the Legislation and Judiciary Committee is that, as the minority party, it serves as a minimal defense mechanism. All bills that pass through other standing committees must go through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee before being submitted to the plenary session. If the DPK takes the chairmanship of this committee, it will be very easy for the DPK, which holds the majority in the standing committees, to pass bills. The minority party, which is outnumbered in seats, will have no choice but to request President Yoon Suk-yeol to exercise veto power.

Hwang Woo-yeo, the PPP emergency committee chairman, expressed concern at a party meeting, saying, "If the opposition party becomes the majority and takes the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, continuing to push legislation and proceeding with legislative dictatorship, we have no choice. Hundreds of vetoes will be exercised."

The Steering Committee, which oversees the Presidential Office as a supervised agency, is also a standing committee the PPP cannot concede. If the chairmanship of the Steering Committee goes to the DPK, the PPP will lose control over various materials and witness requests during full committee meetings and audits. Traditionally, the chairmanship of the Steering Committee has been held by the ruling party's floor leader.

People from the People Power Party are picketing in front of the National Assembly plenary session hall on the 5th, ahead of attending the first plenary session of the 22nd National Assembly. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The discussion over the chairmanship of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee has become more complicated as seven opposition parties, including the DPK, formed a Joint Countermeasure Committee to Prevent Media Suppression. On the 4th, the committee pressured the PPP by stating, "We will swiftly re-push the three broadcasting laws and pursue a national investigation into media suppression, including the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), which muzzles critical media."

The DPK criticized the PPP for deliberately delaying the organization of the Assembly. Senior deputy floor leader Park said on SBS Radio that day, "The PPP has been passive and employing delay tactics regarding calls for negotiation and cooperation." He explained why the opposition should take the chairmanship of the Steering Committee, traditionally held by the ruling party's floor leader, saying, "The 22nd general election is the first time in Korean political history that the opposition has an outright majority. Proper checks are necessary, but the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's unilateral rule is problematic," adding, "The Steering Committee is the standing committee that can check the Presidential Office."

Furthermore, the DPK interpreted that the longer the organization is delayed, the more the passage of laws such as the 'Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byung' will be delayed, implying that the PPP has an intention behind this. DPK floor leader Park Chan-dae said at a party meeting that day, "The longer the organization is postponed to defend the President, the greater the suffering of the people." The President's veto power over bills expected to be re-pushed by the DPK, such as the 'three broadcasting laws,' could also be minimized if the organization is delayed.

The legal deadline for organizing the Assembly is the 7th. Although the floor leaders of both parties agreed to continue negotiations until that day, finding a consensus is expected to be difficult. The DPK plans to hold a plenary session unilaterally to finalize the organization if the negotiations ultimately fail. There is a possibility that the DPK will take all 18 standing committee chairmanships.

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