DP railroads cash handout bill after derailing PPP filibuster

The Democratic Party and other liberal parties in the National Assembly forcibly ended a filibuster by the conservative People Power Party to railroad a bill on 250,000 won cash handouts for every person in the country.

Lawmakers from the liberal Democratic Party (DP) and its allies exit the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Friday after the conservative People Power Party (PPP) initiated a filibuster to delay the passage of legislation that would prevent employers from suing workers for damages that arise from strikes. [YONHAP]

The Democratic Party (DP) and other liberal parties in the National Assembly forcibly ended a filibuster by the conservative People Power Party (PPP) on Friday to railroad a bill distributing 250,000 won ($183) in cash handouts to every person in the country.

The cash handout bill passed in a 186-1 vote after the DP and other liberal parties voted to end the filibuster by the PPP, whose members walked out in protest.

Under the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be forcibly ended if three-fifths of the legislature, or 180 lawmakers, vote in favor of its termination.

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration and PPP have opposed the cash handouts, which DP leader Lee Jae-myung promised in the lead-up to the April general election.

During his presidential run in 2022, Lee also proposed a form of universal basic income to stimulate the economy.

While Lee has argued that the handouts could stimulate the economy if their use is limited to recipients’ local areas, the PPP has blasted the plan as fiscally irresponsible.

PPP Rep. Park Soo-min, who set a new record for the longest filibuster in Korean parliamentary history by speaking for 15 hours and 50 minutes from 2:54 p.m. on Thursday to 6:44 a.m. on Friday, called the bill a “brazen mistake” that could cost the country 13 trillion won ($9.48 billion).

Under the bill, the cash vouchers would only be valid within recipients’ local areas and would range between 250,000 won and 350,000 won per household.

But the bill is likely to be vetoed by President Yoon on advice from the PPP.

While the DP also presented legislation to prevent companies from suing employees for strike-related losses on Friday, the PPP initiated another filibuster almost immediately.

With the scheduled end of the current plenary session at midnight on Saturday, the DP will likely have to wait for the National Assembly to reconvene for a temporary session later in the month to push its pro-labor bills forward.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]