Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is acting president, noted that cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties is necessary to advance key national issues, but it is unclear whether a bipartisan council involving both parties will be held again. This is because political circles are in conflict regarding the nomination of the Constitutional Court justice nominee, Ma Eun-hyeok. There is a possibility that livelihood issues such as the Semiconductor Special Act and a supplementary budget will continue to drift.
According to the National Assembly on the 25th, Jo Seung-rae, the spokesperson for the Democratic Party, answered a question during a National Assembly session on the 24th about whether they would refrain from operating the bipartisan council until the appointment of the nominee Ma Eun-hyeok, saying, "If the acting president (Han) does not do what he needs to do and only makes irrelevant comments, how will the community function?" This suggests that the Democratic Party indicates that the bipartisan council can be pursued once the acting president appoints the nominee Ma Eun-hyeok first.
The spokesperson told ChosunBiz in a currency that, "The party has not yet specifically started discussions related to the bipartisan council," while noting, "However, what was said earlier reflects that the acting president must fulfill his obligations regarding the nomination of Ma Eun-hyeok." However, he mentioned that "The discussion on pension reform is over, and the Semiconductor Special Act has been decided by the government to expand special extended working hours through a notice, and only the supplementary budget remains, which can be prepared and submitted by the government," indicating that there is not a strong need to hold the council immediately.
The status of the nominee Ma Eun-hyeok, which is the condition required by the Democratic Party, is unclear. The acting president returned to his duties as acting president and Prime Minister after 87 days in accordance with the Constitutional Court's ruling to dismiss the impeachment proposal on the 24th. When asked about the nomination of the nominee Ma Eun-hyeok on his way to work that day, he evaded the question by saying, "I'll see you again."
In a subsequent address to the public, he stated, "I will do my utmost to ensure that bipartisan cooperation can steadily and simultaneously advance key national issues that naturally require collaboration," and expressed, "I sincerely request cooperation from both parties."
Earlier, the Democratic Party has been conducting the national council excluding Choi Sang-mok, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, who has been serving as acting president since the end of last month. This is because, despite the Constitutional Court ruling on the 27th of last month stating that "not appointing the nominee Ma Eun-hyeok is unconstitutional," Deputy Prime Minister Choi did not accept the demand for the appointment.
As a result, discussions regarding issues such as the Semiconductor Special Act and the supplementary budget have been stalled. The Semiconductor Special Act is at a standstill as both parties are in strong opposition over whether the exceptions to the 52-hour workweek for semiconductor research and development workforce should be included in the special law. The government and the ruling party are in favor of including it, while the Democratic Party suggests that they should first handle matters without the exception clause and discuss it later.
Both the ruling and opposition parties agree on the necessity for early preparation of the supplementary budget, but they are showing differences in opinions regarding its scale and content. The People Power Party claims that targeted support is needed for basic livelihood guarantee recipients and the lower-income class, while the Democratic Party is demanding universal support, such as consumer coupons for recovery of livelihoods for all citizens.
In addition, there is a situation where an agreement on the inheritance tax law amendment is needed. The government has announced a legislative proposal to change the current inheritance tax system from a property tax method based on estate tax to an 'inheritance acquisition tax' where heirs are taxed only on the property they have received, but analysis suggests that reaching an agreement with the opposition will be difficult due to the 'rich tax cut' controversy. While both parties have agreed to abolish the spouse inheritance tax, they are showing differences in opinions regarding tax credit limits such as general deductions and child deductions.
A National Assembly speaker's office official stated, "Regarding the bipartisan council, the Democratic Party has set a policy of not dealing with Deputy Prime Minister Choi, but it seems that they have not yet decided on a policy regarding the newly reinstated acting president, Han," and added, "We will have to observe a little longer."
An official from the Prime Minister's office stated, "Various discussions, including the supplementary budget, should be held at the bipartisan council, but currently, a 'ruling and opposition' council is taking place without the government," adding, "The remarks by acting president Han on the 24th indicate an intention to work towards normalizing into a council involving 'ruling and opposition' and to request cooperation from both parties."