The ruling and opposition parties on the 29th passed 91 livelihood bills, including a special semiconductor act containing support measures for the semiconductor industry, at a plenary session of the National Assembly. The National Assembly also handled an amendment to the National Assembly Act that would allow the speaker's authority to preside over the plenary to be delegated.
At the afternoon plenary session, the National Assembly handled 91 noncontroversial bills, including the Special Act on Strengthening Competitiveness and Innovative Growth of the Semiconductor Industry (special semiconductor act) and an amendment to the National Assembly Act.
The special semiconductor act contains a basis to designate specific areas as semiconductor clusters to strengthen the industry's competitiveness and to support, with state funds, the construction of cluster infrastructure such as power grids, water supply networks, and roads. It also includes subsidies and tax support, as well as various permit‑and‑approval streamlining measures. However, the "white‑collar exemption" (an exception to the 52‑hour workweek for high‑income, highly educated workers), which had been a point of contention between the parties, was left out.
The amendment to the National Assembly Act centers on allowing the speaker's authority to preside over the plenary session to be delegated to standing committee chairs. As filibusters (lawful obstruction of proceedings through unlimited debate) have occurred frequently, the aim is to ease the physical burden on the plenary presider. Previously, the plenary was presided over alternately by the National Assembly speaker and the two deputy speakers from the two parties.
Amendments to the Public Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act, known as the "anti‑scalping law," also passed. The bills stipulate the confiscation and collection of profits obtained through illegal sales related to tickets for sports games or performances. Until now, the government punished only purchases made using macro programs, but once the amendments take effect, all illicit purchases and sales of tickets will be punishable.
An amendment to the Certified Real Estate Agents Act to convert the Korea Association of Realtors(KAR) into a statutory body also cleared the plenary hurdle. An amendment to the Attorney‑at‑Law Act recognizing an attorney's "confidentiality privilege," allowing lawyers to refuse searches and seizures by investigative agencies, also passed.
Earlier, on the 28th, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to put livelihood bills, whose handling had been delayed by political strife, on the plenary agenda. With the handling of livelihood bills on this day, the number of such bills pending in the plenary has been reduced to about 80.