Chiefs of the country’s two major parties are expected to hold a meeting Monday, boosting hopes for a breakthrough to end the prolonged stalemate over the special Sewol bill and put the paralyzed parliament back on track.

The mood has shifted since Rep. Moon Hee-sang became the new interim chief of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy last week. In Friday’s acceptance speech, he signaled an intent to end the party’s boycott of legislative affairs, quoting the late President Kim Dae-jung as saying, “Lawmakers shine the most at the National Assembly. If you were to fight, do it on the floor.” 

The focal point will be on whether Moon will manage to return to the negotiating table with Saenuri Party chair Rep. Kim Moo-sung over the Sewol legislation. The five-term lawmaker is also tasked with engineering a recovery from the recent fiasco surrounding its floor leader Rep. Park Young-sun over a failed compromise.

“I believe Moon will lead not only the Sewol negotiations but also the Assembly normalization issue in a good way as he is a man of reason,” Saenuri Party deputy floor leader Rep. Kim Jae-won told Yonhap, stressing the need for a “realistic” legislation.

Floor spokesperson Rep. Kim Hyun-sook said: “There is a mountain of bills that the Assembly should look at. … Given the session schedule, we would have little time even if the parliament got back on track right now.”

Public criticism has been mounting over the virtual standstill at the parliament that has lasted for more than three weeks, with more than 7,000 bills pending.

The NPAD has refused all sessions since talks fell apart late last month, warning it would not budge until the Saenuri Party caved to the bereaved families’ demands.

The ruling camp has threatened to kick off unilateral sessions this week to pass some 90 “pressing bills” related to the economy and public welfare, and preparations for delayed government audits.

Yet the prospect for renegotiations remains bleak due to the stark differences between the sides’ demands. Moon also said any Sewol bill should be acceptable to the families.

The key source of contention is the degree of prosecutorial power to be granted to investigators who will look into the government’s botched rescue operations in the Sewol disaster that left more than 300 dead or missing.

Given the mounting pressure, Kim and Moon may agree to first return to the Assembly and then arrange a fresh round of talks, though they are likely to assign their respective floor leaders as chief negotiators, observers say.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)