Ruling People Power Party Rep. Cho Ji-yeon, front, holds a resolution demanding National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik's resignation before submitting it to the legislation office of the Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps
The 22nd National Assembly is already facing disruptions, just 10 days into its term, as the two main rival parties clashed, Tuesday, over the majority-holding main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) unilateral appointments of the heads of parliamentary standing committees.
In response, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) tabled a resolution demanding Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik's resignation.
It claimed Woo, hailing from the DPK, violated the speaker's obligation of neutrality by allowing the opposition party to unilaterally appoint standing committee chairpersons and randomly assign PPP members to the committee during a late-night plenary session the previous day. PPP lawmakers boycotted the session.
The PPP's 108 lawmakers held a general meeting on Tuesday, during which they unanimously agreed to the resolution, which was later submitted to the Assembly's legislation office.
“The speaker violated his obligation of neutrality through biased proceedings during a plenary session the day before,” the resolution read.
“Furthermore he severely infringed on the voting and deliberation rights of lawmakers by forcibly assigning them into standing committees, thereby committing a serious abuse of power that significantly undermines parliamentary democracy.”
A resolution, being a non-binding political statement, means that Woo's speakership will remain unaffected even if it is adopted. However, it highlights a stark partisan divide and underscores the serious asymmetric power dynamics disadvantaging the ruling party.
The National Assembly elects standing committee chairpersons during a plenary session, Monday. Ruling People Power Party lawmakers boycotted the session. Yonhap
Since the opening of the new Assembly on May 30, the PPP and the DPK have been butting heads over the appointments of 18 standing committee chairpersons.
Citing its dominance in the number of parliamentary seats, the DPK claimed at least 11 standing committees should be headed by its lawmakers. However, the PPP insisted on assuming leadership positions at several key committees, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, responsible for gatekeeping before tabling bills at a plenary session, and the House Steering Committee, which can audit the presidential office.
The PPP cited a parliamentary practice in Korea where a member of the largest party assumes the speaker position, one from the second-largest party takes the post of chief of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and one from the ruling party takes the chief post of the House Steering Committee.
After several rounds of failed negotiations, Woo convened a plenary session on Monday night, while PPP lawmakers staged a sit-in protest outside the plenary hall. Opposition lawmakers in attendance proceeded to elect the chairpersons of 11 standing committees. DPK Supreme Council member Rep. Jung Chung-rae was appointed as the head of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and DPK floor leader Rep. Park Chan-dae was appointed as the head of the House Steering Committee.
This marked the first instance of the main opposition party having its lawmakers simultaneously serve as the parliamentary speaker and the heads of two committees.
The DPK said it left seven standing committee chair positions for the ruling party, while threatening to hold another plenary session on Thursday to fill the remainder with its members if the PPP refuses to field its candidates.
“I urge the speaker to promptly convene a plenary session to expedite the composition of the seven standing committees that still need to elect their chairpersons," the DPK floor leader said during a party meeting, Tuesday.
People Power Party floor leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, front, listens to a lawmaker's speech during its general meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Along with the resolution, the ruling PPP plans to boycott the standing committees for an indefinite period. Instead, the party said its lawmakers would carry out their responsibilities through 15 special committees established within the party last week. Members of these special committees are entitled to receive briefings from ministries and other government agencies but do not possess legislative authority.
“We will hold a (PPP) general meeting again to discuss our next steps,” PPP floor leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho told reporters, Tuesday.
“We refuse to accept the standing committee chairpersonship elected through the DPK's unilateral actions. We will neither participate in nor cooperate with any legislative schedule unilaterally announced by the DPK.”