DPK to re-propose bills vetoed by Yoon as soon as 22nd National Assembly opens

Members-elect of the 22nd National Assembly, including Democratic Party of Korea\'s Lee Jae-myung and Park Chan-dae, clap during a workshop for new members at the Chungnam budget on Nov. 22. Moon Jae-won

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has decided to re-propose all of the bills that President Yoon Suk-yeol vetoed in the 21st National Assembly, including the revised Grain Management Act, as soon as the 22nd National Assembly opens. As the ruling and opposition parties' negotiations over the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the steering committee also stalled, the 22nd National Assembly is highly likely to be confrontational from the start.

The DPK held a workshop in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province on May 22, attended by all party members who secured a seat in the 22nd National Assembly, to review its strategy for the next National Assembly and share legislative tasks. The party selected the “Top 10 Policy Legislative Tasks” and categorized them into tasks for public welfare and reform. The public welfare issues include subsidies and emergency measures for the recovery of people's livelihoods, price and housing stability, and the re-proposal of bills that Yoon vetoed, such as the Grain Management Act. The reform issues include a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the death case of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun, a special counsel investigation bill on First Lady Kim Keon-hee, a reform of the prosecution and the media, and parliamentary investigations. "We explained 56 bills that should be pursued as the top priority when the 22nd National Assembly opens," said Jin Sung-joon, chairman of the DPK’s policy committee.

In preparing for the workshop, the party's leadership and policy committee planned to re-propose various bills that were rejected by Yoon's vetoes in the 21st National Assembly. “There are a number of reform tasks related to public welfare that were vetoed by Yoon and ultimately failed to pass the National Assembly even after being voted again,” Jin said, “We think they should be prioritized in the 22nd National Assembly.” The bills that Yoon vetoed in the 21st National Assembly include the revised Grain Management Act, the enactment of the Nursing Act, the Yellow Envelope Act, and the Three Broadcasting Act.

The DPK also reportedly discussed strategies for the Special Act on the Construction of Permanent Storage Facilities for High-level Radioactive Waste, the Offshore Wind Power Special Act, and the Small and Medium-sized Business Cooperatives Act. Legislative strategies for reforming the prosecution, such as the establishment of a High Crime Investigation Agency, which the DPK has formed a task force to promote, were not specifically discussed.

As the DPK decided to push for the passage of the bills vetoed by Yoon, the early political situation in the 22nd National Assembly is likely to freeze. First of all, the composition of the committees is not easy. Chu Kyung-ho, floor leader of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP), and the DPK’s floor leader Park Chan-dae met privately the day before, but only confirmed their differences.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.