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| Floor leaders of the rival parties — from left, Rep. Park Jie-won of the minor opposition People's Party, Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the ruling Saenuri Party and Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) — shake hands before holding a meeting at the National Assembly, Monday, to deal with the aftermath of the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. / Yonhap |
Committee to discuss possibilities of constitutional revision
By Kim Hyo-jin
The floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties agreed Monday to set up a tripartite consultative body including the government to manage state affairs following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.
The move reflects the lack of confidence among opposition parties in the administration being led by acting president, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, and their ambition to set up a post-impeachment roadmap until a new president is elected.
The floor leaders also agreed to set up a special National Assembly committee to discuss the possibility of a constitutional revision to change the current single-term, five-year presidency.
The agreements were reached by Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the ruling Saenuri Party, Rep. Woo Sang-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Rep. Park Jie-won of the minor opposition People's Party. The meeting was arranged to discuss ways to normalize state affairs after Park's impeachment Friday.
A consensus in political circles is being built about the need to revise the Constitution to change the presidential term. Many politicians have blamed the current Constitution which allows for an imperial presidency, calling it a major cause of the ongoing high-profile political scandal.
"In order to minimize the vacuum in state affairs, the parties decided to form a political consultative body between the government and rival parties," Rep. Ki Dong-min of the DPK said in a joint press briefing, adding potential participants will be decided in a follow-up meeting.
"We will also establish a special committee to discuss a constitutional revision, which will be led by the ruling Saenuri Party. The plan for its operation will be dealt with in a plenary session Dec. 29."
The three parties also agreed to hold an extraordinary session from Dec. 12 to 31, with two days, 20 and 21, set aside for interpellation sessions to question ministers on government policies. Prime Minister Hwang will participate in these.
After the impeachment vote passed with support of anti-Park lawmakers from the Saenuri party, the opposition parties called on the ruling party to include them in talks with the government.
"The government should manage state affairs along with the National Assembly during this transition period as it is being led by acting president, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who the public has little confidence in," DPK Rep. Youn Kwan-suk said.
Once established, the tripartite body is likely to discuss controversial issues including the introduction of a state-authored history textbook; the Seoul-Tokyo agreement on sex slaves; the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery; and the investigation into the sinking of the ferry Sewol.
The opposition earlier said it will wait and see how Hwang will respond to calls from the public; although it added that the policies should be nullified. However, doubts remain as to whether bipartisan efforts to operate the consultative body will go smoothly, given deepened tensions following the impeachment of the President.
The pro-Park leadership of the Saenuri Party, led by Chairman Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, has dismissed it as a politically-driven move by the opposition.
"I have no belief in or expectations of the cooperative body," Lee, a staunch ally to Park, said. "Those from the main opposition party have no interest other than boosting their potential candidate who tops the approval rating among potential runners for president."
For their part, the DPK and the People's Party are refusing to accept the current ruling party leaders as legitimate counterparts. "The Saenuri Party has lost its legitimacy as the ruling party following Park's suspension from her duties," DPK Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae said during a party meeting.
Earlier in the day, National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun urged the rival parties to establish a new system as part of efforts to put the nation back on track.
Chung stressed the legislature's initiative in rebuilding the public sector hit hard by the corruption scandal involving the President and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.
"The National Assembly should step up in rooting out collusion between politics and conglomerates, and the prerogatives enjoyed by a few people," Chung said in a press conference. "Lawmakers should take the first step by giving up their privileges."
He expressed hopes that the three-way consultative body will play an efficient role in managing state affairs.
"The vacuum in running state affairs should not be prolonged anymore," Chung said. "I believe the National Assembly will earn the public's trust through cooperative politics."
Saenuri Party floor leader Chung resigned from his post later in the day along with chief policymaker Kim Kwang-lim, saying they were taking responsibility for the impeachment.
