Opposition Party Announces Filibuster… Democratic Party to Finalize Priority Bills in Meeting on the 4th
The Democratic Party of Korea is currently deliberating on which ‘people’s livelihood bills,’ such as the second amendment to the Commercial Act and the so-called Yellow Envelope Act (amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act), to prioritize for processing in the July extraordinary session of the National Assembly. Due to the People Power Party’s announcement of a filibuster (unlimited debate), it is physically possible to prioritize only one bill in the July session. The Democratic Party plans to determine the priority bill through internal consensus and aims to complete the remaining legislation in the August session.
Kim Byung-gi, acting representative and floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated during a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly that “The Democratic Party will pass the three broadcasting normalization laws, the Grain Management Act, the Agricultural Market Act, the second amendment to the Commercial Act, and the Yellow Envelope Act during the plenary sessions on August 4th and 5th.”
He continued, “There are talks that the People Power Party intends to counter with a filibuster,” and added, “The Democratic Party is determined to pass all the people’s livelihood reform bills, if not today then tomorrow, and if not tomorrow then the day after. We will definitely achieve results in the July session and continue to complete the livelihood reform legislation into the August session.”
The bills that the Democratic Party has announced for plenary session consideration in the July extraordinary session are mostly those that were thwarted during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration due to the exercise of the right to request reconsideration (veto).
Specifically, these include ▲ the second amendment to the Commercial Act featuring cumulative voting and the separate election of audit committee members ▲ the three broadcasting normalization laws revising the governance structure of public broadcasting ▲ amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act, which expand the definition of employer to include ‘principal employers (those who have substantial and concrete control over workers’ employment conditions)’ and restrict employers from claiming damages in labor disputes ▲ the Grain Management Act and Agricultural Market Act, introducing a price stabilization system for rice and agricultural products ▲ the act mandating national support for regional currency ▲ the act extending national funding for free high school education for three years ▲ the act changing the legal status of AI digital textbooks to educational materials.
However, since the July extraordinary session concludes on August 5, physically only one bill can be prioritized for passage. The People Power Party has announced a filibuster on five bills, including the Yellow Envelope Act and the amendment to the Commercial Act. Although the Democratic Party meets the requirements (3/5 of the total members) to forcibly terminate a filibuster with its seats alone, forced termination can only occur 24 hours after the filibuster begins. The plenary sessions for the July extraordinary session are scheduled for August 4 and 5.
The Democratic Party plans to finalize which bill to prioritize in the July extraordinary session in a caucus on the 4th. After a meeting, Moon Geum-joo, the Democratic Party’s parliamentary spokesperson, told reporters, “Since the People Power Party announced a filibuster on five bills, depending on the order of presentation, bills to be processed in the July extraordinary session might be delayed.” She added that “The order of presentation is part of the leadership’s negotiation strategy. The situation will change depending on negotiations with the People Power Party. It will be explained at the caucus on Monday.”