Opposition party suspends the passage of major bills

The National Assembly has been stalled as the opposition party refuses to accept the parliamentary schedule on Wednesday, six days before the deadline of the budget bill. As the schedule for the review of a budget bill and other standing committees’ bills stops, the National Assembly could be in a vegetative state.

Eight standing committees failed to open on that day due to the declaration by the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) to halt the schedule. The party used the expression “temporary suspension until its demand for the budget for the Nuri program (childrearing subsidies for children aged 3 to 5).”

The budget bill might not be passed in time as the review for an increase in the budget bill at the subcommittee for budget adjustment, which is under the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, is postponed. The ruling Saenuri Party intends to pass the amended budget bill alone as the bill proposed by the government is automatically sent to the regular session unless the special committee completes the review. If both the ruling and opposition parties do not agree, the National Assembly could not function properly.

“There is no other option to put the revised budget bill to the regular session and pass it,” Saenuri Party deputy floor leader Rep. Kim Jae-won told reporters. “The opposition party is likely to cause political strife, asking for political demands using the state budget as hostage,” Kim said. "We cannot do it this year, which is the first year that applies the National Assembly Advancement Act."

Some say that the “Kim Young-ran bill,” which was to be discussed in a half year at the subcommittee for legislation of the Assembly’s National Policy Committee cannot pass within the regular session due to the disrupted schedule.

“I’m so anxious because there are many bills to be reviewed including the Kim Young-ran bill at a time when the regular session is almost over,” said Rep. Kim Yong-tae, the ruling party’s deputy chairman of the Policy Committee. “Under the assumption that it will be resumed tomorrow, we will work on the schedule going forward. Unless the opposition party responds, we will seek options to get the bills reviewed by the ruling party alone.”