Legislation and Judiciary Committee's "Chu-Na Showdown" Begins... Deadlock from Chief Negotiator Appointment

People Power Party's Chief Negotiator Appointment Withdrawn
Tug-of-War Continues Over Subcommittee Formation

The so-called "Chu-Na Showdown" between Chu Mi Ae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and chairwoman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and Na Kyungwon, who has been nominated as the People Power Party's chief negotiator on the committee, has entered full swing. As tensions rise over the appointment of the chief negotiator and the formation of subcommittees, a clash during the regular session of the National Assembly appears inevitable.

On September 2, Chairwoman Chu presented two agenda items at the morning plenary meeting: the adoption of the plan for a public hearing on prosecutorial reform, and the request for submission of documents. Although she had previously announced that the appointment of the chief negotiator would be on the agenda, she withdrew it the day before.

Na Kyungwon, viewing this as an attempt to block her appointment as chief negotiator, visited Chairwoman Chu to protest just before the plenary meeting. During the meeting, she was seated next to Kwak Gyutaek of the People Power Party, based on alphabetical order, rather than in the chief negotiator's seat. In her opening remarks, Na Kyungwon stated, "The Legislation and Judiciary Committee must play its role so that the spirit of bipartisan agreement is respected in the National Assembly. Please include the appointment of the chief negotiator on the agenda to facilitate an agreement between the negotiators." However, her request was not accepted.

On September 2, at the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly, Na Kyungwon of the People Power Party and others protested against Chairwoman Chu Mi-ae's way of conducting the meeting and argued with members of the Democratic Party of Korea. 2025.9.2 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The People Power Party completed the resignation and replacement process for Park Hyungsoo, who previously served as chief negotiator, the day before. Only the committee's agenda listing and a vote remain before Na Kyungwon can be officially appointed. Kwak Gyutaek commented, "Suddenly withdrawing the agenda item seems to mean they do not intend to allow the appointment of the chief negotiator."

In fact, the Democratic Party of Korea is opposing Na Kyungwon's appointment. The party leadership is considering either not listing the appointment as an agenda item at all or putting it to a vote and rejecting it. Democratic Party spokesperson Kim Jiho stated in a commentary the previous day, "Na Kyungwon has been on trial for six years as a defendant in the National Assembly Fast-Track incident. The People Power Party must immediately withdraw her nomination as chief negotiator for the committee."

According to Article 50 of the National Assembly Act, each standing committee must have one chief negotiator from each negotiation group, but there is no regulation on who has the authority to appoint them. Until now, it has been customary for each party to appoint its own chief negotiator. There is also no precedent for rejecting the appointment of a chief negotiator by a vote. An official from the committee expressed concern, saying, "In the worst-case scenario, Chairwoman Chu could unilaterally appoint someone else through a vote."

Tensions are also running high over the formation of the committee's subcommittees. The previous day, People Power Party members of the committee protested Chairwoman Chu's unilateral composition of the committee and demanded her resignation. Their objection stemmed from the fact that the number of members in the first subcommittee for bill review was increased from eight to eleven, and the members were assigned at the chairwoman's discretion.

In response, the People Power Party announced that it is considering a boycott of the committee and submitting a complaint against Chairwoman Chu to the National Assembly Ethics Committee. The Democratic Party explained that it had intended to discuss the increase in members, but proceeded with the assignment of the first subcommittee because the People Power Party did not respond.

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