The ruling and opposition parties agreed to pass on the 29th a revision to the National Assembly Act in a plenary session that includes transferring the presiding authority of the plenary session from the National Assembly speaker. As filibusters (lawful obstruction of proceedings through unlimited debate) occur frequently, the aim is to ease the physical burden on the plenary presiding officer.
Floor leader Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party of Korea and floor leader Song Eon-seog of the People Power Party met at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 28th to discuss items to be handled at the plenary session.
After the meeting, floor leader Song told reporters, "At tomorrow's (29th) plenary session, we decided to handle about 90 non-controversial bills that have passed the standing committees and The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and are pending in the plenary," adding, "We also decided, by agreement between the floor leaders, to handle the revision to the National Assembly Act together."
The revision to the National Assembly Act allows the National Assembly speaker to transfer presiding authority to a standing committee chair. Previously, the National Assembly speaker and vice speakers from the two parties alternated presiding over plenary sessions. A plan to switch the handwritten secret ballot for ending a filibuster to electronic voting was also discussed at first, but due to opposition from the People Power Party, it was decided not to include it in this revision.
Floor leader Han said, "Because (handwritten secret ballots) take too long, we proposed introducing an electronic voting method, but the People Power Party argued that the filibuster cloture vote should be done by handwritten ballot as before, so we decided to keep it as it is."