A meeting between the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties held ahead of the National Assembly's plenary session ended empty-handed. With the Government Organization Act amendment and other bills at issue, a filibuster is expected to unfold in the Assembly for five days.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik presided over a meeting of ruling and opposition floor leaders in the speaker's office on the afternoon of the 25th. Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Kim Byung-ki and People Power Party floor leader Song Eon-seok attended. With the People Power Party having signaled a filibuster (a lawful obstruction of proceedings through unlimited debate) at the plenary session scheduled for that day, it was the last chance for the parties to reach an agreement.
As the government and the ruling party decided that morning to withdraw the plan to overhaul the financial supervision system, there was speculation that the likelihood of an agreement between the parties had grown. Given the many negative reactions within the People Power Party to an unlimited filibuster and street protests, there was an outlook that the opposition might take the hand extended by the ruling party.
But once the lid was lifted, agreement between the parties proved difficult. In the floor leaders' meeting that lasted nearly an hour, the Democratic Party and the People Power Party failed to find common ground. Leaving the speaker's office first, floor leader Song Eon-seok said, "At the meeting of ruling and opposition floor leadership held in the speaker's office, I proposed that we first place on the agenda and handle the bills we agreed on," adding, "The ruling party instead insisted on first putting up the bills on which there is no agreement and for which a filibuster has been signaled, and that's where opinions diverged."
He added, "Even if there are differences between the parties, it is important for the National Assembly to take time, follow procedures, and conduct discussions to find agreement, but we view very negatively the intention to set aside agreed-upon bills and insist on first putting up and passing bills that have not been agreed upon."
Leaving the speaker's office next, floor leader Kim Byung-ki also said, "I asked the speaker to first put the Government Organization Act amendment on the agenda," adding, "The People Power Party keeps calling it agreement while opposing indefinitely, so I see no further point to the meeting."
With the meeting ending empty-handed, four bills are expected to come before the plenary session that day: the Government Organization Act amendment, the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Act, the National Assembly Act, and the National Assembly increase-and-decrease act. Asked why bills lacking agreement would be put up first, floor leader Kim said, "We're doing it because it's urgent," adding, "All the noncontroversial bills are agreed upon, but since the People Power Party says it will mount a filibuster, we are inevitably unable to place them on the agenda."
On the Government Organization Act, the two parties reacted that they could not trust each other. Regarding the government and ruling party's decision that morning to withdraw the financial supervision overhaul, floor leader Song expressed the view that it was "hard to believe." He said, "Judging from (the ruling party's) past behavior, there is ample possibility that it will upend opposition agreements or promises overnight and push ahead alone," adding, "There is a possibility they will take a detour and put it on the plenary agenda through the fast track."
He also voiced a negative stance on other government reorganization plans. Floor leader Song said, "Dismantling the prosecution and dividing it into an investigation office and a prosecution office is a problem, and there are claims that changing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family for Gender Equality is unconstitutional," adding, "Dividing nuclear power into export and construction and splitting it between the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment could severely damage the nuclear power ecosystem."
Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae said at a general meeting of lawmakers that afternoon, "Trying to block the Government Organization Act of the Lee Jae-myung administration, which was launched in accordance with the Constitution, democracy, and the will of the people, by mounting a filibuster is no different from trying to hold back and block Korea's path to the future," adding, "If we argue that blocking the Government Organization Act is a refusal to accept the presidential election and a refusal to accept the general election, what answer will the People Power Party give?"
With the parties failing to reach agreement, a five-day filibuster is expected over four contentious bills, including the Government Organization Act amendment, that are to be introduced that day.