Presidential office voices disappointment over the failure to pass youth employment bill

Extra parliamentary session in May, which almost came to a close without fruitful result, closed on May 29 after processing 67 agendas (59 bills). However, the Assembly failed to pass the ‘economy stimulus bills’ for job creation, which President Park Geun-hye has appealed to the parliamentary to process, including a bill for service industry development, a tourism promotion bill, a cloud funding bill, and a revised Medical Law.

“Cheong Wa Dae cannot help but be disappointed at the Assembly’s failure to pass the bills designed to boost youth employment, which the public has been desired,” said Kim Sung-woo, the senior presidential secretary for public relations, during the briefing on May 29. On May 27, President Park put pressure on the parliament to process the economy stimulation bills, saying, “Why do lawmakers not pass the bills while the bills do not harm to anybody?”

However, New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) countered it calling the bills ‘bills designed to harm the public.’ The main opposition party claimed that the tourism promotion bill may create harmful environment for children as the bill allows construction of hotels around schools, and the revised Medical Act may harm the public health system by opening the industry to private medical service providers.

For the bill for service industry development, NPAD also argues that ‘it is a foundation for pursuit of the medical services’ commercialization,’ urging the parliament to pass the bill without public health and medical sectors. The bill for cloud funding was passed by the relevant standing committee but has been pending at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Meanwhile, a bill to adopt mandatory warning images in cigarette packages passed through the Assembly after it has been repeatedly proposed 12 times before. The revised National Health Promotion Act makes it mandatory for cigarette manufacturers to fill more than 50% of front and back surfaces of a cigarette pack with warning pictures and messages. The ratio of graphic warning is required to be higher than 30% under the act.

The Assembly’s plenary session also passed ‘Special Act on Income Contingent Loan’ to ease the burden for college students to pay college tuition loans and the Public Official Election Act which puts the Redistricting Commission as an independent organization under the Central Election Management Commission aiming to strengthen the commission’s political neutrality.

leon@donga.com