National Assembly in August expected to be fruitless again

The National Assembly in Yeouido is seen over a traffic sign installed on the Seogang Bridge in Mapo-gu, Seoul on August 4. Yonhap News

The provisional session of the National Assembly in August, which will start from August 5, is expected to repeat being "empty-handed" and "political dispute." It is highly likely that the Yellow Envelope Act (Amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) will be passed by the opposition parties alone in the plenary session on August 5, followed by President Yoon Suk-yeol's veto, a re-vote, and repeal. The other controversial bills that have already passed the plenary session led by the opposition are expected to go through the same process. The “hearing on broadcasting” and “hearing on impeachment of prosecutors” to be held in August are also expected to play a role in the extreme confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties.

The Yellow Envelope Act, which is being pushed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and other opposition parties, is scheduled to be automatically submitted to the plenary session on August 5, the first day of the extraordinary session. Just like the previously passed “Four Broadcasting Act” and the “Support Act to Provide 250,000 Won for All Citizens,” it can be passed by the opposition alone. The filibuster, which was initiated by the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) immediately after the bill was introduced in the plenary session on August 2, was automatically terminated after 31 hours at 0:00 a.m. on the 4th, when the extraordinary session of the National Assembly ended.

"The DPK’s intention is to increase the number of the president’s reconsideration requests and use them to incite impeachment," said Choo Kyung-ho, leader of the PPP, on social media platforms shortly after the filibuster ended, adding, "We will continue to resolutely fight against the DPK’s runaway legislation."

The PPP has already announced that it would veto all bills passed unilaterally by the DPK. President Yoon is expected to veto all of them. In this case, the August session of the National Assembly will continue the cycle of veto, re-vote, and repeal. Considering the schedule, including the summer vacation, the re-vote could be delayed to next month, making the dispute extended to the regular session of the National Assembly.

The DPK announced that it would introduce “two bills mandating special counsel investigations” and conduct investigations of state administration. The first place where the ruling and opposition parties will clash is the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee. Its plenary meeting on August 2, the committee voted on a plan to hold a hearing on the broadcasting takeover with the opposition parties alone. The DPK plans to conduct on-site verification of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) on August 6 and hold a hearing on the 9th on the process of appointing board members of public broadcasters, which was conducted by Lee Jin-sook, new chairperson of the KCC, before continuing investigations of state administration.

Choi Hyung-doo, the PPP lawmaker, said, "I'm not going to participate in the on-site verification. (The hearing) will be held at their own discretion, so I will attend and question its unfairness after attending the meeting." The PPP has also proposed a resolution calling for the expulsion of Choi Min-hee, the chairperson of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, and a member of the DPK.

The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on August 14 to investigate the impeachment against Kim Young-chul, the deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, led by the DPK. The allegations of "favoring First Lady Kim Keon-hee" will be a key issue. The PPP is considering countering with hearings on various issues related to the DPK, including the dismissal of National Assembly Judiciary Committee Chairman Chung Chung-rae.

The DPK is also pushing to reintroduce a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the death of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun, which was abandoned after a re-vote on July 25. While the PPP leader Han Dong-hoon is considering accepting a special counsel investigation conducted by a method of "third-party recommendation," the party's leadership maintains that the investigation by the prosecution and police is a priority, which is expected to cause some noise.

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