Brakes Applied to State Consultation Body... Government Urges "Prompt Communication with Gukhoe"

Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Emphasizes Need for Communication with National Assembly Including Request for Reconsideration

The government has expressed the position that it is necessary to establish communication channels with the National Assembly to ensure stable state affairs management. Earlier, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed the formation of a 'State Stability Consultative Body' involving both the National Assembly and the government after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol was passed, but the People Power Party has rejected this.

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Photo by Yonhap News

On the afternoon of the 19th, Bang Ki-seon, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, told reporters at the Government Complex Seoul, "The government intends to communicate sufficiently with the National Assembly for stable state affairs, including six laws for which the right to request reconsideration has been exercised."

Director Bang said, "I understand that the opposition party has many comments regarding the laws subject to reconsideration requests, and the government fully understands their intentions, but I earnestly say that the purpose is to deliberate and discuss more carefully for the future of the country," adding, "I believe that if the ruling and opposition parties' consultative body is formed as soon as possible and many issues are discussed within it, many of the current conflicts can be resolved."

Earlier, Han Duck-soo, Acting President and Prime Minister, convened an extraordinary Cabinet meeting in the morning and requested reconsideration of the so-called 'Agriculture Four Acts' amendments, including the Grain Management Act, as well as amendments to the National Assembly Act and the National Assembly Witness Examination Act. Initially, the Democratic Party planned to impeach Acting President Han, who is also a suspect in the emergency martial law investigation, but it appears they will observe and respond to whether vetoes will be exercised on the Special Investigation Act on the Internal Rebellion and the Special Investigation Act on Mrs. Kim Geon-hee.

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is presiding over the Ministerial Meeting on National Issues at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News

A senior official from the Prime Minister's Office repeatedly emphasized the necessity of the 'ruling-opposition-government consultative body,' saying, "While more discussion is needed in the political sphere, I think the need for the ruling and opposition parties to come together and for the government to join them grows even more when there are conflicts and more discussions are necessary."

As Acting President Han exercised veto power over contentious bills forcibly passed by the opposition party, the key issues have shifted to whether to request reconsideration of the Special Investigation Act on the Internal Rebellion and the Special Investigation Act on Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, and the appointment of constitutional court justices for the impeachment process. The People Power Party argues that "the Acting President cannot appoint constitutional court justices."

The official said, "Regarding whether to request reconsideration of the Special Investigation Act on the Internal Rebellion and the Special Investigation Act on Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, we plan to review them based on whether they comply with the Constitution and laws," adding, "There are various legal opinions and political controversies regarding the appointment of constitutional court justices, so we are reviewing and deliberating further."

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Act on the Internal Rebellion and the Special Investigation Act on Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, passed under opposition leadership in the National Assembly, were sent to the government on the 17th. The deadline for processing is January 1 of next year, and the government must decide whether to request reconsideration by the 31st of this month.

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