Published : Sept. 27, 2016 - 10:32
South Korea's opposition parties said Tuesday the head of the ruling Saenuri Party should end his hunger strike and work to normalize the regular audit session that has been paralyzed by partisan dispute.
The remarks came as Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, who heads the Saenuri Party, announced he will go on an indefinite hunger strike on Monday, demanding National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun resign amid the controversy over his political neutrality.
Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, who heads the ruling Saenuri Party, sits on the floor of his office at the National Assembly in Seoul as he stages a hunger strike on Sept. 27.(Yonhap)
Saenuri lawmakers also refused to take part in the 20-day audit that kicked off this week, disrupting normal proceedings.
"If the ruling and opposition parties face can't agree on key issues, it is the role of leaders to try to resolve the problems," Rep. Woo Sang-ho, the floor leader of the Minjoo said, adding a hunger strike cannot be the solution.
Woo also urged Saenuri lawmakers to return to the National Assembly and join audit proceedings.
Rep. Park Jie-won, who heads the minor People's Party, added Lee's strike will only add to the confusion in South Korean politics.
Saenuri lawmakers' protest came after South Korea's opposition parties passed a motion to dismiss a Cabinet minister over alleged ethical lapses, while the ruling party boycotted the vote and walked out of the session.
The Saenuri and the presidential office have argued the dismissal motion was politically motivated and had nothing to do with the actual wrongdoings of the Cabinet minister.
Chung, who is originally from the Minjoo, fueled the debate when he was heard in a voice recording saying that the ruling party should not "ask something for free," indicating the speaker may have wanted to utilize the dismissal motion to induce Saenuri to make concessions on other issues that are important to the opposition.
Chung left the opposition party after being designated as the speaker under South Korean law. The voice recording, accordingly, further sparked concerns of Chung's willingness to remain neutral on parliamentary affairs. (Yonhap)