Woo Won-shik, the Speaker of the National Assembly, delivered an opening speech at the 422nd National Assembly (extraordinary session) opening ceremony and plenary session held at the National Assembly’s main hall on the afternoon of the 3rd. [Yonhap News]
The ruling and opposition parties are continuing their standoff over the Semiconductor Special Act, pension reform, and supplementary budget allocation in anticipation of this week’s speeches by negotiation group representatives and government inquiries. Although both parties consider these the most urgent issues to address, they have not been able to narrow their differences.
The biggest disagreement lies in the supplementary budget allocation. This year’s budget was passed as a “reduction budget” led by the Democratic Party amid severe opposition last year. The Democratic Party maintains that a swift supplementary budget is necessary for economic recovery. Meanwhile, the People Power Party prioritizes early budget execution before considering a supplementary budget.
The key issue in the Semiconductor Special Act is the “52-hour workweek restriction exception clause.” The People Power Party insists on including this clause. However, the Democratic Party proposes excluding this clause due to strong opposition from labor groups and suggests initially passing the bill focusing on financial support for the industry, with additional discussions to follow.
Pension reform is another area where the two parties differ significantly. Both agree on the need for reform, but they clash over the methodology. The People Power Party argues that the National Assembly’s pension special committee must be established. They insist that both parametric and structural reforms be discussed in a committee composed equally of both parties. In contrast, the Democratic Party believes urgent parametric reforms should be handled by the Health and Welfare Committee, with structural reforms requiring more extensive discussion in the special committee.
Due to these disagreements, the expected “National Assembly-Government Policy Consultation” for this week is now uncertain.
Meanwhile, speeches by the ruling and opposition party representatives are expected to be more about checking each other. Lee Jae-myung, head of the Democratic Party, is reportedly considering proposing the introduction of a national recall system for members of parliament during his speech on the 10th. This system would allow for the dismissal of elected officials, including members of parliament, through a national vote. In light of the potential for an early presidential election with a possible impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol, this move seems aimed at capturing the political reform agenda with the slogan “Returning Sovereignty to the People.”
However, the ruling party is expected to oppose this, viewing the introduction of “Lee Jae-myung’s recall system” as a measure to expand the influence of Democratic Party’s rights party members who support Lee. It could also become a contentious issue in a future early presidential election phase.
Kim Se-hee, Jeon Hye-in