People Power Party Walks Out After Rejection of Opposition's Human Rights Commission Nominees: "Korea Is Heading Toward Dictatorship"

Yoo Sangbum Criticizes "Distortion and Denunciation of Party Recommendation Principle" by Democratic Party
Bills Including Osong Disaster Parliamentary Investigation Passed with Democratic Party Votes

Lawmakers from the People Power Party left the plenary hall in protest on the 27th after the proposal to elect standing and non-standing members of the National Human Rights Commission, recommended by the People Power Party, was rejected during the National Assembly plenary session.

People including Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party (left), are leaving the plenary session hall on the 27th after the vote on the proposal to elect the People Power Party-recommended National Human Rights Commission members (Lee Sanghyun, Woo Insik) was rejected at the National Assembly plenary session. Photo by Yonhap News

On this day, the proposal to elect Lee Sanghyun, a professor at Soongsil University's Department of International Legal Affairs, as a standing member, and Woo Insik, an attorney at Healim Law Office, as a non-standing member, was put to a vote but both were rejected.

The proposal to elect Lee Sanghyun received 99 votes in favor, 168 against, and 3 abstentions out of 270 lawmakers present. The proposal to elect Woo Insik as a non-standing member received 99 votes in favor, 166 against, and 5 abstentions out of 270 lawmakers present.

The proposals were rejected because a majority of Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers voted against them. Previously, the Democratic Party had decided not to set an official party stance on the matter and allowed a free vote.

Yoo Sangbum, the People Power Party's chief whip, made a statement immediately after the rejection, saying, "Party recommendations are a principle that grants each party the right to recommend candidates autonomously," and added, "If the Democratic Party denounces and distorts this parliamentary principle simply because it does not align with their views, does it really improve the National Human Rights Commission of Korea?"

He further criticized, "What the Democratic Party is showing now is that there is no longer an opposition party in the National Assembly of Korea," and pointed out, "This demonstrates that Korea is heading toward dictatorship."

With the People Power Party lawmakers leaving as a group, other bills, including the plan for a parliamentary investigation into the Osong disaster, were processed with only Democratic Party lawmakers and others remaining in the plenary session.

Earlier, Choi Eunseok, the People Power Party's chief spokesperson, told reporters after a general meeting of lawmakers, "Depending on the outcome of the vote on the Human Rights Commission member proposals, if they are rejected, we do not intend to participate in voting on subsequent bills."

National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik said, "Although this proposal was tabled in accordance with National Assembly procedures, the rejection reflects the judgment of a majority of lawmakers that it was a recommendation they could not agree with," and added, "No matter how much it is an opposition party's recommendation, since it is a recommendation by the National Assembly, I cannot agree with walking out in protest against the result of the deliberation on this proposal."

The National Human Rights Commission consists of four standing members, including the chairperson, and seven non-standing members. Of these, four are elected by the National Assembly, with the ruling and opposition parties each recommending two members.

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