The First Solo Opening in Constitutional History, Standing Committee Formation Also Virtually Disrupted

Deadline for Assembly Formation 7 Days, No Agreement by Morning
Democratic Party May Wait Until Midnight for Solo Vote
People Power Party "Threatening Minority... Show Cooperation"

Following the first-ever single-party opening of the National Assembly by the opposition, the ruling and opposition parties continue to deadlock over the distribution of standing committee chairmanships. If no agreement is reached by the midnight deadline on the 7th for organizing the Assembly, the Democratic Party of Korea plans to finalize the standing committee formation through a solo vote, making it inevitable that the 22nd National Assembly will operate in a dysfunctional manner for the time being.

Discussions on organizing the Assembly, which have continued since last month, remain unresolved. The core issue lies in the appointment of chairpersons for the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Steering Committee, and the Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee. The People Power Party insists that, according to precedent, the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee should be held by the second-largest party, and the chair of the Steering Committee by the ruling party floor leader. On the other hand, the Democratic Party argues that to pass key livelihood bills and the special prosecutor law, it is essential to retain control of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and that the Steering Committee chairmanship must also be secured to check the Presidential Office.

Speaker Woo Won-shik is striking the gavel at the first plenary session of the 22nd National Assembly held at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The conflicting positions between the ruling and opposition parties persist until the deadline for organizing the Assembly. As a result, the planned meeting between the floor leaders of both parties, presided over by the Speaker of the National Assembly, has become practically uncertain.

Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized at the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly main building, saying, "It took 47 days to elect the Speaker and monopolize all 18 standing committees four years ago, but now the Democratic Party says they won't even consider that." He added, "Just two days after electing the Speaker alone, the minority party threatens daily to monopolize the standing committees if others do not follow them."

Choo also harshly criticized Woo Won-sik, the newly elected Speaker of the National Assembly, who was elected with a 'half' vote. At a press meeting after the strategy session, he said, "In his victory speech at the plenary session, he unilaterally stated that the standing committee formation plan must be submitted by the 7th," adding, "It was a statement that could raise concerns that even the slightest hope for cooperation and respect for the minority opposition would be dashed." The People Power Party decided not to attend the meeting between the two parties that day and plans to hold a party caucus on the 10th to discuss negotiation strategies for organizing the Assembly before deciding whether to resume talks between the floor leaders.

The Democratic Party, for now, intends to wait until the legal deadline for organizing the Assembly. However, if delayed, they plan to promptly finalize the organization. The Democratic Party increased pressure on the People Power Party by urging them to submit the list of standing committee members by the morning of that day. Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, warned at the Supreme Council meeting, "If the negotiations drag on or submission is refused, all responsibility for what happens afterward lies with the People Power Party."

Chu Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, is making a procedural statement at the first plenary session of the 22nd National Assembly held at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

If negotiations fail within the legal deadline, the Democratic Party plans to finalize the standing committee formation through a solo vote in the plenary session, leveraging its majority seats. First, they intend to hold a solo vote on the proposal to elect 11 standing committee chairs allocated to the Democratic Party in the plenary session. If the ruling party refuses to discuss further, they plan to secure all the remaining 7 standing committee chair positions as well.

However, the possibility of negotiation remains open. The Democratic Party calculates that finalizing the organization through a solo vote would carry significant political burdens considering public sentiment. The psychological deadline for the Democratic Party is the 9th. If no agreement with the People Power Party is reached by then, they plan to request the convening of the plenary session on the 10th and finalize the organization as planned. Woo Won-sik, the newly elected Speaker, is also likely to accept this demand from the Democratic Party. He previously expressed his determination to promptly conclude the election of standing committee chairs, stating, "The opening should not be delayed, nor should it be postponed."

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