Speaker delays transfer of revision bill for National Assembly Act

With the presidential office and the ruling Saenuri Party’s leadership in dispute over a revision bill for the National Assembly Act, the transfer of the bill to the government has been put off to next week.

“The 59 bills including the revision bill for the National Assembly, which passed the main assembly session on May 29 cannot be transferred to the government by this weekend as they should be proofread to correct errors,” a source at the National Assembly said on Tuesday. “I think the transfer will be possible on Wednesday or Thursday next week.”

The National Assembly Act stipulates that bills approved by the National Assembly shall be transferred to the government by the Assembly Speaker, but does not specify a deadline. Customarily, when a bill is approved by a main assembly session, it is transferred to the government one week after the session, but this time, the National Assembly plans to delay the timing of transfer. Hence, many watchers judge that the measure has been taken by National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa to earn time to help ease dispute between the presidential office and the ruling party.

Given President Park Geun-hye’s planned visit to the U.S. and Cabinet meeting schedules, the National Assembly can earn practically two weeks of time when Speaker Chung transfers the bills later. The next Cabinet meeting will take place next Tuesday, and the president will return from her tour on June 19. If the National Assembly transfers the bills to the government this week, President Park could exercise her veto power at the Cabinet meeting on next Tuesday, but if it transfers on Wednesday or Thursday next week, chances are high that decisions will be finalized at a Cabinet meeting on June 23.

“If the presidential office and the Saenuri Party’s leadership take their time, reflect upon to ease their concern, and reexamine the bills, they may be able to find a solution,” said a ruling camp official. “I think that Speaker Chung is adjusting the timing of transfer by taking that into consideration.”

Speaker Chung also plans to postpone to next week the appointment decision over Saenuri lawmakers Yoon Sang-hyun and Kim Jae-won as presidential special secretaries for political affairs given the situation of conflict between the presidential office and the party.

will71@donga.com