Plenary Session Today...Government Organization Act Amendment to Exclude 'Financial Supervisory System Reform'

Democratic Party: "No Wasteful Political Strife"
Amendment to Be Submitted to Plenary Session Today
Four Key Bills to Be Prioritized
People Power Party Signals Filibuster

On September 25, the National Assembly will convene a plenary session to process the amendment to the Government Organization Act, which includes the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office. However, the ruling party and the government have decided not to include the reform of the financial supervisory system in the government reorganization plan on this day.

Han Jeongae, the Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated in an emergency briefing that morning, "Amid the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties, not only is a filibuster being considered, but even the designation of a fast-track agenda is on the table. We must avoid wasteful political strife." She added, "We have decided not to include the separation of policy and supervisory functions of the Financial Services Commission and the establishment of a Consumer Protection Agency, which we initially intended to designate as fast-track items, in the government reorganization plan."

Yonhap News

The Democratic Party, which had pledged to process the bill before the Chuseok holiday, plans to proceed as scheduled. However, with the People Power Party announcing a full-scale response, a turbulent process is anticipated. Some predict that a filibuster (unlimited debate) could last up to 70 days.

In the plenary session scheduled for the afternoon, the Democratic Party will prioritize four key bills necessary for amending the Government Organization Act: the amendment to the Government Organization Act, the bill to establish the Broadcasting Media Communication Committee, the amendment to the National Assembly Act, and the amendment to the Rules on the Number of Members of the National Assembly Standing Committees. The amendment to the Government Organization Act will be submitted as a revised version that excludes the financial supervisory system reform plan.

The People Power Party will counter with a filibuster. Considering the relevant standing committees and expertise, the party has assigned members to lead the filibuster. Park Sumin, Ko Dongjin, and Lee Dalhee will take the lead in responding to the amendment to the Government Organization Act. Initially, the Democratic Party planned to process 69 non-contentious bills and 11 fast-track items related to the amendment to the Government Organization Act in the plenary session. However, as the People Power Party is poised to launch an 'unlimited filibuster' even on non-contentious bills, the number of bills to be introduced is likely to be reduced. The blueprint for the ruling party's approach to the amendment changed following the results of the high-level party-government meeting held at the National Assembly that morning.

The People Power Party will decide whether to initiate an unlimited filibuster at the caucus scheduled for the afternoon. The decision has been delegated to Floor Leader Song Eonseok. With momentum building toward an unlimited filibuster, the party has prepared various countermeasures. Kwak Gyutaek, the chief spokesperson for the People Power Party's parliamentary group, stated, "If we filibuster all bills, the Democratic Party may frame it as neglecting people's livelihoods, so we are preparing with this in mind."

If the unlimited filibuster becomes a reality, the plenary session to process the bills could continue for up to 70 days. A filibuster can be ended if more than one-third of all members agree to close the debate, and after 24 hours, a vote can be held to end it with the approval of at least three-fifths of all members. As a result, the processing of non-contentious bills, such as the special law to support victims of wildfires in North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, and Ulsan, will also be delayed.

Kim Byungki, the Democratic Party's floor leader, urged the People Power Party to cooperate, saying at the policy coordination meeting, "When it comes to people's livelihoods, there is no division between the ruling and opposition parties." In response, Floor Leader Song shifted the blame at the Supreme Council meeting, saying, "The Democratic Party is pushing to ram through the flawed Government Organization Act amendment and is postponing the processing of livelihood bills." The floor leaders of both parties are scheduled to meet with National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik just before the plenary session.

Meanwhile, the amendment to the Government Organization Act is now facing criticism for being a rushed piece of legislation. According to People Power Party lawmaker Seo Beomsoo and others, the alternative version of the Government Organization Act, which reflected the results of the bill subcommittee's review on September 18, was revised several times over the weekend. The amendment, which spans 339 pages in A4 format, was reviewed in just 2 hours and 20 minutes at the bill subcommittee.

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