DP intends to complete the composition of National Assembly this week

The ruling and opposition parties are still at odds over the composition of the 22nd National Assembly even during its third week, only fueling concerns over the legislative body without the ruling party joining. The ruling party, the administration, and the presidential office spoke with one voice on the consequences of such an aggravated feud at the National Assembly, which would only damage citizens. They alike expressed concerns over the main opposition party's unilateral decision making.

The Democratic Party of Korea is making concerted efforts to expedite the appointment phases. Having already elected the chairs of 11 standing committees, they are now pushing for the remaining seven. “We are in discussions with Speaker Woo Won-shik to request a plenary session this Monday," the main opposition party's spokesperson, Kang Yoo-jung, announced on Sunday. "Even if our request is not granted, we are resolute in our commitment to confirm the composition plan by this week.”

However, it is anticipated that the main opposition will not be able to act unilaterally in a plenary session this Monday. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, a key figure in this process, has stated that he is closely monitoring the discussions between the ruling and opposition parties. “The sole agenda item is the appointment of chairs for the standing committees," a spokesperson from the speaker’s office revealed. "Speaker Woo believes that more dialogue between the ruling and main opposition parties is necessary.”

The PPP’s emergency response committee head, Hwang Woo-yea, said at a senior meeting between leaders of the ruling party and the administration on Sunday, “The majority party at the National Assembly is wielding its influence as if all the seats were taken by its members, which only facilitates its unilateral race for legislation,” expecting that citizens would rebuke the main opposition for making the National Assembly useless. Chief of Staff for Policy Chung Jin-suk stated that dialogue and compromise underlie the spirit of the National Assembly Act, just as the two virtues are the backbone of the ordinance of parliamentarism.

The ruling party’s leaders have still boycotted, arguing that the main opposition’s plan should be scrapped completely. However, some party members maintain that the party should come back and continue to fight inside the National Assembly, saying that it needs to focus on practical interests by securing at least seven standing committee chairs. “We will fight back until early this week,” one of the party’s core parliamentary members said. “The boycott cannot be canceled without good cause, which we will figure out.”


유채연 ycy@donga.com