Parties Agree on Coefficient Adjustment Subcommittee

The Grand National Party (GNP) Policy Committee Chair Kim Man-Je and the New Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) Policy Coordination Committee II Chair Kang Woon-Tae agreed on Dec. 5 to organize the coefficient adjustment subcommittee under the National Assembly`s Budget Committee comprised of 11 members, namely, 5 members each from MDP and GNP and one from the United Liberal Democrats (ULD), and to designate MDP to its chairpersonship.

The MDP`s Kang agreed with the GNP`s Kim as such during his visit to the GNP`s headquarters on that day and also to do their best to deal with the new year`s budget plan at the National Assembly`s main session on Dec. 8, the last day of the National Assembly of this time.

The GNP`s Kim said, "While accepting the MDP`s proposal, both parties agreed to designate the GNP to the chairpersonship of the National Assembly Budget Committee`s subcommittee on accounts that will operative ordinarily."

Accordingly, the ruling and the opposition parties will begin to operate the coefficient adjustment subcommittee in earnest from Dec. 6 to adjust the new year`s budget plan of a total of 112,580 billion won.

However, it may be possible that adjusting coefficients is delayed for a significant length of time as the GNP`s executive secretary at the National Assembly Budget Committee Lee Han-Gu resigned from the committee, criticizing that "The agreement violates the spirit of the National Assembly law that requires that the committee be organized according to the ratio of seats in the National Assembly." and other GNP lawmakers at the Budge Committee are protesting against the agreement, arguing that it was made arbitrarily by the party leaders.

Kim Jeong-Hun jnghn@donga.com