Democratic Party pushes for early termination of National Assembly session

In a move that has sparked controversy, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has unilaterally pushed through a proposal for the early termination of the special session of the National Assembly in August. The decision, made on Friday, appears to be linked to the anticipated timing of the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant against Rep. Lee Jae-myung. This action has faced strong opposition from the People Power Party.

During the general meeting of the National Assembly, the Democratic Party of Korea presented an amended proposal to determine the duration of the special session in August. The proposal managed to secure passage with 158 votes in favor, 91 against, and two abstentions out of the 251 lawmakers in attendance. Notably, a majority of Democratic Party lawmakers supported the proposal, while some of 111 members of the People Power Party voted against it.

The Democratic Party’s rationale for this move is that the prosecution’s request for Mr. Lee’s arrest warrant should be filed during a non-session period. This would allow Mr. Lee to directly participate in the court’s review of the arrest warrant without subjecting his arrest to a legislative vote. However, the ruling party’s leadership vehemently opposed the Democratic Party’s proposal to amend the session’s duration. They lodged a strong protest against National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo. Despite their efforts, the bill was not prevented from being put forth. A source within the Democratic Party revealed that the opposition party demanded that key legislative bills, including the Yellow Envelope Act and the Broadcasting Act, be resubmitted for voting during the general session should their proposal fail to pass. Yoon Jae-ok, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, pointed out that the opposition party’s proposal to end the National Assembly session without prior consultation between the ruling and opposition parties is unprecedented. Lee Yang-soo, Deputy Floor Leader of the People Power Party, criticized the Democratic Party for disregarding the National Assembly Act and pursuing the early termination of the session. He suggested that the Democratic Party’s actions could be seen as exploiting their advantage in terms of the number of seats to manipulate voting outcomes under the auspice of its party leader.

Song Gi-heon, the deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, defended the move, stating that the prosecution and the presidential office influence the duration of the National Assembly session. “The prosecution’s investigation is politically motivated, and the Korean people will understand our decision,” Song said.

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo expressed his disappointment in both the ruling and opposition parties, stating that politics should align with common sense. He criticized both sides for resorting to expedient measures that could erode the public’s trust in the political process.


mjlight@donga.com