Rival parties pitted against over speaker's stance on impeachment

With the opposition Grand National Party (GNP)`s formal resolution calling for the resignation of National Assembly speaker Lee Man-Sup, the ruling and opposition parties have found a new battle front in their continuing war.

The opposition GNP called the filibustering of the impeachment bill targeting the Prosecutor-General a political "comedy" scripted by Chong Wa Dae, directed by the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) and starring the speaker. The spokesman for the opposition party stated that Lee¡¯s statement that he was physically prevented from leaving his office by ruling party representatives was a lie. He added that his party would reject and boycott all Assembly meetings presided over by the speaker.

The GNP claimed Chairman Lee`s sudden call for the end of the National Assembly meeting followed by his quick exit to his office, as well as his refusal to relegate the authority to preside over the meeting to Vice speaker Hong Sa-Duk, was premeditated.

Meanwhile, the assistant spokesperson for the ruling MDP, Kim Hyun-Mi, insisted that the GNP`s sudden shift from supporting Lee when he stood against the Constitution revision proposal to its current attack on him as the impeachment process came to a halt betrays a lack of principle. The impeachment bill, which automatically became null and void due to a deadline, has become another hotly debated issue as the two parties struggle to determine if the bill can be legally reintroduced.

The GNP has claimed that the impeachment bill could be reintroduced if the prosecution¡¯s handling of the boutique lobbying scandal investigation and other cover-up incidents were added to it. However, the ruling party has stated that a bill that has been either cancelled or defeated through voting cannot be reintroduced.