By Lee Tae-hoon

Tensions are growing once again between liberal and conservative parties over the parliamentary approval of a bill that touches on the fundamental rights of North Korean citizens.

Political wrangling over the issue surfaced shortly after floor leaders of the rival parties announced on May 30 that they agreed to deliberate on the North Korean Welfare and Human Rights Act in the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee in June.

A bone of contention is that the disputed bill does not exist. What exists is the North Korean Human Rights Act, proposed by the now ruling Grand National Party in 2005 that calls for the establishment of an institution that keeps records of rights abuses in the communist North.

GNP floor leader Hwang Yoo-yeo and Democratic Party (DP) floor leader Kim Jin-pyo agreed to revise the name to include the word welfare and add a provision stating economic aid to North Koreans.

"The content of the bill will remain intact," Hwang said. "But the new legislation will likely lead to the provision of aid to the North Korean people as this can be viewed essential in improving their basic rights."

Such a revision, however minor, deviates from the hard-line policy of the governing camp and the original bill. In addition, Assembly insiders said it's no small task to change the name of an existing bill and add a new provision.

The 2005 bill originally calls for stricter aid distribution monitoring in the North without any mention of food or other type of assistance to the hunger-stricken country.

The deliberation on the bill has stalled over the past six years at the Assembly mainly because of the main opposition DP's fears that it would only aggravate inter-Korean relations and further worsen the livelihood of ordinary North Korean citizens.

Proponents of the 2005 bill, including GNP's policy chief Lee Ju-young, have already expressed their disapproval of the revision.

"I wonder if we're making a human rights act or a humanitarian aid act," Lee said in a meeting of the party's senior lawmakers last week.

Lee and many other GNP lawmakers argue that the new name deviates from the main purposes of the bill -- creating a watchdog for the North's human rights violations and increasing funding for related non-governmental organizations.

They point out that the proposed change would shift the bill's focus to supplies and aid provision to the Stalinist North, which the DP has long demanded, but continues to be rejected.

"The original objectives of the North Korea Human Rights Act are investigation of and sanctions against human rights violations inside North Korea, and supporting human rights organizations," Lee said. "Such an injury or perversion of the essence should not be allowed."

The DP has yet to respond.

Observers say the liberal party will likely threaten to block the parliamentary approval of the revised bill, if the GNP insists to exclude Seoul's commitment to provide economic assistance to the North in the legislation.

They noted that the issue may result in a feud with the GNP leadership, as Rep. Hwang has been accused of failing to consult with other GNP lawmakers.

Many in the GNP are opposed to the idea of the South Korean government's provision of financial or humanitarian aid to the North as they believe a large portion of Seoul's assistance will land in the hands of the North's military, rather than ordinary citizens.