Parties near agreement on special Sewol bill

South Korea’s main parties are near agreement on the special Sewol bill, lawmakers said Monday, raising hopes of an end to months of wrangling.

The Sewol bill has been at the forefront of a parliamentary feud since July. But a more conciliatory mood has reigned in the National Assembly since parties agreed on a basic framework over the bill last month, while postponing accords over smaller details to sometime later this month.

Earlier Monday, parliamentary sources confirmed lawmakers from the main parties were approaching an end in the talks.

“There are important details we have to work on, but last night’s talks with Mr. Woo have led to much progress,” governing Saenuri Party Rep. Joo Ho-young said, in reference to Rep. Woo Yoon-keun, floor leader of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy.

Rep. Moon Hee-sang, interim leader of the NPAD, also said officials were taking the negotiations “hand-in-hand” and that Woo was “doing a good job.”

Officials said the final details of the bill would be worked out when President Park Geun-hye is scheduled to meet senior leaders of the Saenuri Party and the NPAD on Wednesday.

Public pressure and a busy parliamentary schedule are expected to pressure lawmakers to conclude talks.

Civic activists on Monday threatened to stage a public rally in downtown Seoul on Nov. 1 if lawmakers failed to pass the Sewol bill. Lawmakers also have other key affairs to attend to, such as discussing the 2015 budget and contentious bills such as the amendments to the Government Organization Act.

The Sewol bill proposes to set up a probe into the government’s rescue operations during the April 16 ferry disaster, which left more than 300 dead or missing. But parties have disagreed over how much legal power to grant investigators, who could be given the task of probing the highest echelons of the government, including the presidential office.

The rival parties have yet to agree on some of the key details of the Sewol bill. One tricky issue is whether to give families of those killed in the accident some voice in appointing members of the investigation.

Governing party officials have opposed the idea, saying it would lead to “victims’ justice.” NPAD legislators support the scheme, saying bereaved families deserve a voice in the investigations of an accident that claimed the lives of their loved ones.

By Jeong Hunny ()