The ruling Saenuri Party’s boycott continued to stymie the second day of the parliamentary audit, with tension peaking as the party’s members locked its member and chief of the National Assembly’s Defense Committee in his office for several hours to prevent him from convening a session.

Rep. Kim Young-woo of the Saenuri Party was to hold an afternoon session at around 2 p.m. but was blocked at around 11 a.m. by fellow party members including former leader Rep. Kim Moo-sung. They entered Kim Young-woo’s office and prevented him from leaving for about three hours.

The chairman had declared earlier in the day that he was returning to the audit, as the nation is facing a security crisis and needs the parliamentary process to go on.
“I do agree that the National Assembly speaker conducted a biased proceeding of the parliament. However, even so, I cannot refuse to hold the audit. It would be a violation of democracy,” said the committee chairman in a text message sent to reporters.

“What would happen to a country where the Defense Committee cannot convene at a time of threats from North Korea and its nuclear weapon?”

The Saenuri Party has been staging a boycott of the audit since Monday in protest against the opposition parties’ passage of a bill recommending the president to sack the agriculture minister who has been questioned for his ethical standards.

The party is also demanding a resignation of National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun, who they said facilitated the opposition by agreeing to hold a plenary session on midnight Saturday without the attendance of ruling party members, thereby going against his duty to stay neutral.

Chung has repeated his refusal to step down, telling an audience during a seminar Tuesday that the role of a speaker is “not something that anyone can ignore or undermine.”

Later in the afternoon, the Saenuri Party submitted a proposal to take discipline action against the speaker and demand his resignation. In the statement, they argued that Chung -- who gave up his membership in The Minjoo Party of Korea upon being elected as speaker -- violated laws in steering the plenary session in favor of opposition parties.

“We think that the speaker has moved beyond the point where we can tolerate his behavior,” said Rep. Chun Hee-Kyung who supported the motion along with fellow lawmakers. “We believe that we can secure a majority to pass the motion.”

For the motion to clear the Assembly, it needs to gain approval from more than half of the 300-strong Assembly. Currently, the Saenuri Party holds 129 seats, with three opposition parties securing a total of 165 seats.

Saenuri leader Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, meanwhile, entered the second day of his hunger strike, vowing to continue until the speaker steps down. “I never would have started if I just wanted to give in and accept their demand,” Lee told the lawmakers

Among meetings of the 12 standing committees originally set to take place earlier in the day, only seven committees chaired by opposition parties, such as a legislative committee, were held. The other six committees headed by the Saenuri Party was canceled, as its chairman and members refused to hold the meetings.

The Defense Committee was scheduled to question the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the session was suspended as the opposition lawmakers left the venue, saying they may seek a brief transfer of the right to convene the meeting from the chairperson.

Throughout the three-hour scuffle at his office, Kim traded barbs with the lawmakers who prevented him from leaving. Inside Kim’s office, an unidentified lawmaker was heard telling the third-term lawmaker that they were “doing this to save you.”

Kim, minutes later, was heard saying, “Please let me go. You have always talked of reform (so why not let me go).” After the standoff ended, Kim came out and told reporters he would seek to convene the committee’s audit.

Saenuri Party heavyweights, such as fifth-term lawmaker Rep. Chung Byoung-gug, rebuked Kim Young-woo for ignoring the party’s decision. “I think it is a party member’s duty to follow the guidelines set by the party leadership,” Chung told reporters.

The Minjoo Party of Korea, meanwhile, applauded Kim for his decision, saying it was “worthy of respect” for showing responsibility as a member of a ruling conservative party.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)