'Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Acts Previously Vetoed by Yoon Suk Yeol Administration Pass National Assembly'

Grain Management Act and Agricultural and Fishery Price Stabilization Act to Be Addressed on August 4
Safe Freight Rates System for Cargo Trucks Revived After Being Sunsetted Under Yoon Administration

The amendments to the Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Countermeasures Act and the Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Insurance Act, which were subject to the right of reconsideration (veto) during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, passed the National Assembly on July 23.

On this day, the National Assembly held a plenary session in the afternoon and passed two of the four agricultural bills: the amendment to the Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Countermeasures Act (202 members present, 183 in favor, 4 against, 15 abstentions) and the amendment to the Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Insurance Act (205 members present, 179 in favor, 9 against, 17 abstentions).

The amendment to the Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Countermeasures Act stipulates that a basic plan for agricultural and fishery disaster countermeasures must be established and implemented every five years, and allows the government to compensate for production costs incurred prior to the occurrence of disasters. The amendment to the Agricultural and Fishery Disaster Insurance Act includes provisions to expand the scope of agricultural and fishery disaster insurance to cover damages caused by pests and diseases.

These bills were previously approved by bipartisan agreement at the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee on July 14. The Democratic Party plans to address the remaining two bills?the Grain Management Act and the Act on Distribution and Price Stabilization of Agricultural and Fishery Products?at the final plenary session of the July provisional session, scheduled for August 4.

Yonhap News

After the bills passed, Democratic Party floor spokesperson Moon Geumjoo stated in a written briefing, "These amendments were prepared to reflect the real difficulties and contemporary challenges faced by the agricultural and fishery sectors," adding, "We expect this to be an important turning point that will further strengthen the sustainability and safety net of agriculture and fisheries." He continued, "We will continue to take the lead in legislation and policy development to protect the lives of farmers and fishers and to ensure that our agricultural and fishery sectors can move toward a sustainable future amid structural changes such as the climate crisis."

The Safe Freight Rates System for cargo trucks (partial amendment to the Trucking Transport Business Act), which was introduced during the Moon Jae In administration, implemented for three years, and then sunsetted under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, also passed the National Assembly with 180 votes in favor, 20 against, and 31 abstentions.

Additionally, a partial amendment to the Higher Education Act, which lowers the cap on university tuition increases from 1.5 times to 1.2 times the average consumer price inflation rate of the previous three years, was also passed.

However, the Local Love Gift Certificate Act, which mandates national fiscal support for local gift certificates, and the amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which reclassifies AI digital textbooks from "textbooks" to "educational materials," will be addressed at the plenary session on August 4 after further consultations between the ruling and opposition parties.

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