The Korean National Assembly’s regular session is currently handling 175 pending bills, with negotiations underway to deliberate on around 60 of them. The ruling party claims that the 22nd National Assembly has been ineffective in processing legislation and promises to work towards addressing 100 of the bills.
The ruling and opposition parties in South Korea have agreed to pass livelihood-related bills during the Assembly’s regular session. There were delays due to the Democratic Party’s unilateral handling of reform bills and the People Power Party’s demands for special investigation legislation. President Lee Jae-myung also criticized the slow legislative process.
In particular, the Democratic Party agreed to step back from the controversial “filibuster reform bill,” which required one-fifth of all members present to stop unlimited debates. They agreed on a compromise involving the transfer of presiding power to the speaker of the National Assembly and using electronic voting to end filibusters.
Meanwhile, the People Power Party has postponed its demands for special investigation laws and a state investigation. Addressing the religious Unification donations and candidate selection funds were among these demands, along with investigations related to personal data leaks and property controversies.
The Democratic Party aims to process up to 100 bills in the upcoming session. Their spokesperson, Park Soo-hyeon, stated that efforts are being made to process around 60 bills and possibly increase that number through cooperation with the opposition.
Additionally, the spokesperson acknowledged the previous sessions’ poor performance in processing legislation and reiterated the intention to expedite the process. President Lee also highlighted concerns about the assembly’s inefficiency, pointing out that less than 20% of the government’s legislative agenda has been addressed even after eight months in office.