National Assembly standing committees are busy ahead of the June 3 local elections. The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party are holding back-to-back meetings pointing to allegations raised against specific candidates or criticizing government policies. With only two weeks left until the local elections, the proxy war between the two major parties using National Assembly committees appears likely to intensify.
The Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee held a full meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 20th and conducted a policy inquiry into the omission of rebar at Samsung Station on the GTX-A line, which has emerged as a key issue in the Seoul mayoral race. Attending the meeting were Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, acting Seoul Mayor Kim Seong-bo, acting president Lee Han-ho of the National Railroad Infrastructure Corporation, and Hyundai Engineering & Construction CEO Lee Han-woo.
The ruling and opposition parties clashed in raised voices as the meeting began. The People Power Party defined the purpose of the meeting, led by the Democratic Party, as "smearing candidate Oh Se-hoon," and said it was waging political attacks on the eve of the official campaign period. The Democratic Party countered that, as the standing committee overseeing the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), it could not ignore safety.
Lee Jong-uk of the People Power Party, the opposition secretary on the Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee, said, "When the opposition asked to convene a standing committee over real estate issues, you dodged it, but this time you rammed it through like a military operation." In contrast, Bok Ki-wang of the Democratic Party, the ruling party's secretary, said, "Because the committee could not disregard safety, it was inevitable that today's meeting would be held even though it is the day before the start of the campaign period."
Another proxy battle is highly likely at the Public Administration and Security Committee. The committee will take up the GTX-A rebar omission on the 26th. It will be the second time, following the full meeting on the 18th. In particular, the Democratic Party has recently assigned lawmakers Ko Min-jung, Park Sung-joon, Oh Ki-hyeong and Park Min-kyu, who belong to Chong Won-o's campaign, while the People Power Party has assigned lawmakers Cho Eun-hee and Choi Su-jin, who belong to Oh Se-hoon's campaign, to the committee.
The People Power Party mounted a counteroffensive at a full meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held at the National Assembly on the morning of the same day. It said the government's response to the attack on HMM's vessel Namuho was lukewarm. Opinions also surfaced that the government's security view was inappropriate over the inclusion of a peaceful two-state theory in the "2026 Unification White Paper."
Earlier, on the 15th, the People Power Party held the Gender Equality and Family Committee to wage a public-opinion offensive over Democratic Party candidate Chong Won-o's drunken assault case. The aim was to highlight allegations that the case involved coercing a female employee to stay out overnight. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party and officials from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family did not attend the meeting.
A National Assembly official said, "As the local elections draw near, there are places where the polling gap between ruling and opposition party candidates is narrowing," and added, "All-around support is needed, and National Assembly standing committees can naturally be one of the tools."