National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik on the 9th declared a recess during a filibuster by the People Power Party at a plenary session. The reason was that remarks by Na Kyung-won, a People Power Party lawmaker who took the floor for the filibuster, were unrelated to the bill on the agenda.
Speaker Woo declared a recess at about 6:19 p.m. as the plenary session proceeded that day. It is the first suspension of a National Assembly filibuster in five years since 2020.
The National Assembly that day put the "Partial Amendment to the Fair Transactions in Franchise Business Act" on the agenda at the plenary session. The People Power Party immediately requested a filibuster. Although the franchise business act amendment is a bill without disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties, the People Power Party launched a filibuster, seeing that the Democratic Party of Korea would push ahead with the creation of a dedicated insurrection panel of judges and a bill on the crime of historical distortion going forward.
Na began the filibuster at about 4:28 p.m. that day. Speaker Woo and Na clashed from the moment she approached the podium. When Na did not greet Speaker Woo, Woo said, "Aren't you going to greet me?" About 10 minutes after the filibuster began, Woo moved to rein in Na's filibuster.
Speaker Woo judged that Na's filibuster remarks were unrelated to the franchise business act on the agenda. Na was explaining the "fast track (expedited agenda)," the process before the franchise business act was put on the plenary agenda. Woo said, "This is not an unlimited debate on the franchise business act. This is an attempt to obstruct proceedings." When Na ignored Woo's words and continued, Woo cut off Na's microphone.
People Power Party lawmakers strongly protested Speaker Woo's decision to cut the microphone. Democratic Party lawmakers also shouted at Na, saying, "Apologize," and "Get a grip." As Woo kept the microphone off, Na even used a wireless microphone separately prepared by the People Power Party.
In the end, Speaker Woo declared a recess, saying, "I am too ashamed to show this face of the National Assembly and cannot continue the meeting any longer."
Gwak Gyu-taek, the People Power Party's chief deputy floor spokesperson, held an emergency briefing and said, "For the first time in the history of the Republic of Korea's National Assembly, an unprecedented incident occurred in which the speaker interfered with remarks and turned off the microphone," adding, "This is a unilateral handling of the plenary session and a tyrannical act by the speaker that ignores legal provisions."