The ruling Democratic Party decided Wednesday to issue "grave" written warnings to 26 lawmakers whose absence at last week's parliamentary session caused a temporary lack of a quorum for a parliamentary vote on the extra budget bill.
The party's decision-making Supreme Council made the decision as critics say that the lack of a quorum underscored its complacency when it dealt with the 11.03 trillion won ($9.8 billion) budget bill that President Moon Jae-in had pushed to help create jobs and spur growth.
The budget bill was passed Saturday after an hour-long delay in the vote, which was caused by the absence of the DP lawmakers and the members of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party that left the floor in a show of objections.
This photo, taken on July 3, 2017, shows Park Wan-joo, a spokesman of the ruling Democratic Party, speaking during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap)
"The Supreme Council has decided after long hours in a closed-door session that the party leader will issue grave written warnings to the lawmakers, and that the lawmakers in question will make sincere apologies," Park Wan-joo, a party spokesman, told reporters.
The failure to meet the quorum of 150 lawmakers came as a surprise given that the ruling party holds 120 seats in the 299-member legislature while the lawmakers of the People's Party and Bareun Party, which agreed to the vote, total 60.
The DP lawmakers in question were reportedly absent for various reasons, such as activities to support their constituencies, overseas business trips and personal affairs, including one giving a private lecture and another visiting a son serving in the military. (Yonhap)