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๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea /Elections & Politics

Parties agree on parliamentary leadership, normalizing assembly after 52 days

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • South Korea's National Assembly will resume normal operations after 52 days following an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties.
  • The agreement centers on the processing of a special prosecutor bill related to a ballot paper shortage during the June local elections.
  • The People Power Party will accept the remaining seven committee chair positions previously held by the Democratic Party.

South Korea's National Assembly is set to resume normal operations after a 52-day hiatus, following a breakthrough agreement between the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition People Power Party. The resolution paves the way for the normalization of parliamentary proceedings that have been stalled since the start of the 22nd National Assembly's second session.

The key catalyst for the agreement was the joint decision to process a special prosecutor bill concerning a shortage of ballot papers during the June local elections. This compromise allowed the People Power Party to end its boycott of parliamentary schedules. The party has also agreed to accept the chair positions for seven standing committees that were initially designated for them but remained unfilled due to the boycott.

Although our members still cannot accept the Democratic Party's unilateral selection of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairperson, they have approved the return to parliamentary activities.

โ€” Jeong Jin-seokPeople Power Party floor leader, explaining the party's decision to return to parliamentary sessions.

"Although our members still cannot accept the Democratic Party's unilateral selection of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairperson, they have approved the return to parliamentary activities," stated People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jin-seok. "We will begin the process of appointing committee chairpersons starting today."

Under the agreement, the Democratic Party had previously elected 11 committee chairpersons, leaving seven for the People Power Party. These include the committees on Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Trade, Industry and Energy; Health and Welfare; Education; Intelligence; Foreign Affairs and Unification; and Gender Equality and Family. The People Power Party has nominated candidates for these roles, with some positions involving shared one-year terms between parties. The National Assembly is scheduled to elect these seven chairpersons in a plenary session on July 23.

We will begin the process of appointing committee chairpersons starting today.

โ€” Jeong Jin-seokAnnouncing the next steps following the agreement.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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