A total of 42 bills, including the 'Drug Promotion Prohibition Act' that prohibits encouraging the use of narcotics, passed the floor of the National Assembly on the 13th. A proposal for an audit of Chairperson Ryu Hee-rim of the Korea Communications Standards Commission, who is under suspicion for 'managing civil complaints,' and a resolution urging her resignation also passed.

During the 1st plenary session of the 423rd National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly's Main Hall in Yeouido, Seoul on Nov. 13, a resolution calling for the resignation of the Chairperson of the Broadcasting Communication Review Commission (Ryu Hee-rim) and a request for an audit related to allegations of complaint solicitation and concealment against the Board of Audit and Inspection are being presented. /Courtesy of News1

In the National Assembly session that afternoon, 42 bills, including the amendment to the Narcotics Control Act, were approved. The amendment prohibits not only brokering the sale of narcotics to others but also enticing or encouraging the use, smoking, and ingestion of narcotics. It also included provisions for the Commissioner of Food and Drug Safety to carry out duties related to the maintenance and protection of normal daily life for recovering narcotics addicts, as well as establishing a narcotics management system.

The amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which raises the penalties for drug driving from the current 'up to 3 years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 10 million won' to 'up to 5 years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won,' was also approved. There have been concerns that current laws lack provisions to enforce or penalize those who refuse drug testing, diminishing their effectiveness.

The resolution urging the resignation of Chairperson Ryu Hee-rim related to the 'civil complaint management suspicion' and the agenda demanding an audit of the overall suspicion regarding Ryu was also passed.

The suspicion involves Chairperson Ryu allegedly having mobilized family and acquaintances to file a complaint with the Korea Communications Commission regarding the news report based on the transcript of the 'Kim Man-bae-Shin Hak-rim interview' in December 2023. The Democratic Party holds that Ryu should be held accountable for her repeated perjury to cover up the suspicion, subornation of perjury against internal members, and retribution, and should resign immediately.

The ruling party opposed this and cast dissenting votes. Kweon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, noted before the session, "The Democratic Party just resorts to impeachment motions, special investigations, and resignation resolutions whenever they dislike something," and criticized, "This has led to today's chaotic South Korea."