What’s Happening to the National Assembly?

On the issue of convening a special session of the National Assembly, the Uri Party and the Grand National Party held out against each other.

The ruling party is proposing to convene a special session of the National Assembly, saying, “Let’s convene a special session of the Assembly starting on December 10 to deal with the draft budget whose deliberation is being delayed, bills related to the livelihood of the people, and the reformation bills.” However, the Grand National Party is refusing the proposal flatly, saying “It’s the ruling party’s scheme to enforce the ‘four bad laws,’ including the abolition of the National Security Law.”

On December 9, the Uri Party announced a list of “reformation and people’s livelihood bills to be dealt with during the special session of the Assembly.”

The ruling party is insisting on taking care of the 61 bills that are not touched yet. The 61 bills include the so-called “four legislations”: the abolition bill of the National Security Law, the Past Injustices Investigation Law bill, the reformation bill on the private school law, and the newspaper law bill. Also, laws like the fund management law, the private investment law, and the National Pension Act, to stimulate the business year are also subjects to be dealt with during the extra session. Also, 28 economy-related bills, including the revision bill of the free economic zone law, are put on the list.

An important official of the ruling party said, “The National Security Law matter should be done after an agreement is reached among the ruling and the opposition party. However, it’s the party’s basic standpoint to handle the Past Injustices Investigation Law bill, reformation bill on the private school law, and the newspaper law bill within the year.”

For this to be done, the ruling party’s insists on convening a special session of the Assembly to handle the bills related to the livelihood of the people first, and then deliberate the reformation bills. However, there are quite a number of hard-liners within the ruling party who persist in their opinions to independently convene the special session by the ruling party alone, if the Grand National Party keeps rejecting the proposition.

An influential assemblyman said, “The “four bills” matter should not be dragged on any longer, and that it’s the party’s guidance division’s idea to put an end to the matter within this year.”

The Grand National Party is flatly rejecting the ruling party’s proposal to convene a special session of the National Assembly, saying that most of the major bills related to the livelihood of the people are already dealt with, and no special session is needed.

Nam Gyung-pil, representative of the floor leaders of the Grand National Party, said, “The special session’s purpose is to enforce the four bills. How can we agree to convene the special session when the ruling party’s so eager to sloppily pass the abolition bill of the National Security Law?”

The Grand National Party figures even if the ruling party convene the special session of the Assembly by themselves, it’ll be hard for them to enforce the “four bills,” since the ruling party has to discuss the schedules with the opposition party.

An important official of the Grand National Party said, “The Uri Party should take the responsibility of the aberration of the National Assembly which will be caused if the ruling party enforces the four bills by independently convening a special session.”

Young-Hae Choi yhchoi65@donga.com