National Assembly Speaker and Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Woo Won-shik speaks during a press conference held at the parliament in western Seoul on Sept. 11. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s political climate post-Chuseok is likely to revert to a familiarly confrontational one, with the powerful opposition party poised to railroad several contentious bills, including those targeting President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee with special counsel investigations.
At the National Assembly’s plenary session scheduled for Thursday, the liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea plans to present three high-profile bills, Rep. Yoon Jong-kun, the party’s spokesperson told reporters last week.
The bills include one that mandates a special counsel investigation into allegations that the presidential office and the Defense Ministry inappropriately interfered in the military’s probe into the death of a Marine, a separate special counsel probe bill that seeks to look into stock manipulation accusations against first lady Kim and legislation requiring the government to fund a gift voucher program designed to support local small businesses.
The main opposition initially sought to present the bills during a plenary session held on Sept. 12 but decided to delay the move upon Assembly Speaker and Democratic Party Rep. Woo Won-shik’s proposal to help the governing camp focus on preventing potential disruptions in medical services during the Chuseok holiday.
A prolonged strike by the majority of trainee doctors since February, in protest of the government’s decision to raise the medical school admissions quota, has led to a cutback in surgeries and other treatments at major hospitals here.
“I request that the main opposition take a step back from (its moves to railroad) the special counsel investigation bills and the president and the government to swiftly launch (the four-way consultative body) to resolve the ongoing conflict between the medical community and the government to restore the public’s faith (in them),” Woo said on Sept. 11.
Earlier this month, the government and the ruling party proposed a four-way consultative body among the two largest political parties, the government and doctors' groups in a bid to find a middle ground on the medical school admissions quota plan. However, doctors and medical professors recently refused to join the government-led joint consultative body, demanding the government first express its willingness to change course.
Echoing the calls, People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon on Wednesday also called for doctors' groups to join the consultative body and pledged that the ruling party would "make better efforts" to find a solution to the prolonged conflict.
"I've been meeting several people in the medical circle during the Chuseok holiday and asking them to participate in the consultative body. I request that the government and the main opposition take more active and flexible steps on the matter -- the ruling party will make better efforts as well," Han said in his Facebook post.
Despite these efforts to seek bipartisan solutions to the medical disruptions, political tensions remain high.
The floor leader of the ruling People Power Party hinted last week that it may boycott Thursday’s plenary meeting if the main opposition moves to push through the three bills despite the opposition of People Power Party lawmakers.
Rep. Choo Kyung-ho said last week that the party “cannot agree to the agenda” announced by the Assembly speaker “without an agreement between the ruling and the main opposition parties.” But he did not completely rule out the possibility of the ruling party’s participation in Thursday’s meeting, saying that their attendance will be determined during a party leadership meeting scheduled ahead of the plenary session.
Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to veto all three bills if the Assembly decides to pass them. The presidential office expressed regret over the main opposition's move to push for the two special counsel bills, which are updated versions of similar legislation that Yoon has vetoed in the past.
The latest round of tension between the rival parties comes merely weeks after the Assembly passed a total of 28 bills aimed at improving the people’s livelihoods. This marked the first time the rival parties showed such bipartisan support in advancing legislation since the 22nd Assembly started its four-year session in late May.
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