Ruling and Opposition Parties Agree to Pass Seven Livelihood Bills... People Power Party Says "No Participation in Chu Kyungho Vote"

Agreement Reached on Passing Livelihood Bills Including the K-Steel Act

On November 27, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to pass seven non-contentious livelihood bills, including the 'K-Steel Act (Special Act on Strengthening the Competitiveness of the Steel Industry and Transitioning to Green Steel Technology),' at the plenary session. However, the People Power Party announced that it would not participate in the vote on the motion to arrest Assemblyman Chu Kyung-ho.

Moon Geumjoo, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, met with reporters after the party caucus and stated, "We decided to process the seven livelihood bills and leave the motion to arrest Assemblyman Chu as the last item." The seven livelihood bills are: ▲ Partial Amendment to the Electronic Financial Transactions Act ▲ Special Act on Supporting the Relocation of Institutions to the Busan Maritime Capital ▲ Special Act on Strengthening the Competitiveness of the Steel Industry ▲ Traditional Market Promotion Act ▲ Agricultural Materials Support Act ▲ National Pension Act ▲ Confiscation of Corrupt Assets Act. The remaining items will be handled together with the budget bill on December 2.

The People Power Party agreed to process the livelihood bills but decided not to participate in the vote on Assemblyman Chu. Initially, the party considered a filibuster (unlimited debate) on all bills but has since backed down. Kwak Gyutaek, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a briefing after the caucus, "We believe the arrest warrant is unjust, so we will not participate in the vote and will instead hold a protest in the Rotunda Hall."

In addition, the People Power Party announced that it would submit a special bill to recover criminal proceeds from the Daejang-dong case as its official party position. The ruling and opposition parties remain at odds over a parliamentary investigation into the withdrawal of the Daejang-dong appeal. The Democratic Party decided to finalize its position on the parliamentary investigation by 5 p.m. and notify the People Power Party.

Both parties have previously discussed a parliamentary investigation into the issue, but the Democratic Party insisted it should be handled by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, while the People Power Party called for the creation of a special committee. As the People Power Party accepted a parliamentary investigation by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Democratic Party also decided to announce its position. However, the People Power Party demanded changes regarding the appointment of the committee secretary, the deprivation of speaking rights, and the selection of witnesses in exchange for agreeing to the investigation by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

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