Ruling Party to Push Government Organization Act Tomorrow... Opposition to Continue Filibuster Standoff Until the 29th

As the ruling and opposition parties failed to reach an agreement on the Government Organization Act amendment, a clash at the National Assembly plenary session scheduled for September 25 has become inevitable. The Democratic Party of Korea has stated its intention to proceed with the Government Organization Act amendment as planned, while the People Power Party plans to counter with filibusters (unlimited debates) on all bills presented. As a result, the standoff is expected to continue at least until September 29.

Joo Jinwoo, a member of the People Power Party, is conducting a filibuster (legal obstruction of parliamentary proceedings through unlimited debate) opposing the 'stronger' amendment to the Commercial Act at the National Assembly plenary session on August 25, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

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Park Suhyeon, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, met with reporters at the National Assembly on the morning of September 24 after the Supreme Council meeting and said, "The People Power Party has announced its plans to stage filibusters and hold rallies outside the Assembly on all agenda items, including 69 non-contentious bills, ahead of the plenary session's handling of the Government Organization Act amendment. Rather than being a party that blocks even livelihood bills to push only its own political agenda, we hope they will return to the National Assembly and fully utilize their time as the main opposition party."

Kim Byungki, floor leader of the Democratic Party, and Song Eonseok, floor leader of the People Power Party, held two meetings the previous afternoon to discuss the Government Organization Act amendment and other issues, but failed to reach an agreement. After the meeting, Song stated, "Ahead of Chuseok, a major national holiday, I suggested that it would be better to handle livelihood bills first, but the Democratic Party insisted on prioritizing the Government Organization Act amendment, and their determination to push it through unilaterally if not agreed upon prevented us from reaching a consensus."

The Democratic Party has maintained that if a final agreement is not reached with the People Power Party by today, it will submit four contentious bills-the Government Organization Act amendment, the Broadcasting Media Communications Committee Establishment Act, the National Assembly Act, and the National Assembly Standing Committee Quota Rules-to the plenary session on September 25. The mood within the party is that there can be no concessions, as the Government Organization Act amendment, which focuses on prosecution reform and restructuring economic ministries, is a core policy initiative of the Lee Jaemyung administration and the Democratic Party.

Jeon Yonggi, a member of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Political Prosecution and Fabricated Indictments, pointed out in an interview with KBS Radio that day, "If, for example, the so-called livelihood bills are presented first, but the People Power Party suddenly decides to filibuster all of them-which number in the dozens-then the Government Organization Act amendment could end up buried in those filibusters, and it may not pass even during this regular session or after the next parliamentary audit. Such variables could arise."

The People Power Party plans to hold a general assembly of its lawmakers in the afternoon to finalize its response. For now, the party intends to counter the four bills scheduled for the plenary session on September 25 with filibusters. According to the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be ended if at least one-third of all lawmakers agree to end it, and after 24 hours, it can be concluded with the approval of at least three-fifths of all lawmakers. This means that, at most, only one bill can be passed per day, so the filibuster standoff is likely to continue until at least September 29.

If the Democratic Party proceeds with its original plan to submit all 69 non-contentious bills, it could take up to 69 days to process all the bills. The People Power Party has issued a ban on overseas activities and schedules for its lawmakers in preparation. A floor official from the People Power Party said, "We are aware of concerns that filibustering even livelihood bills may not be appropriate," but added, "There is no alternative when the Democratic Party refuses to acknowledge the opposition."

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