With negotiations over the second-half committee structure of the 22nd National Assembly effectively breaking down, the Democratic Party declared it would complete the committee setup on its own. As the People Power Party signaled a hardline response, including a filibuster, concerns are emerging that legislative activity could grind to a halt, reducing the Assembly to a "vegetative" state.
Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party's acting leader and floor leader, said Sunday, "We have met with the People Power Party 12 times since the 11th of this month, but they keep repeating only that we hand over the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair." He added, "As the ruling party and the largest party in the National Assembly, the Democratic Party will make a responsible decision." This means halting the stalemated negotiations between the rival parties and convening a plenary session on its own to form the second-half committee structure. Han said, "There will absolutely be no case where (the committee setup) is pushed past tomorrow."
Han criticized the People Power Party, saying, "The People Power Party's argument is nothing more and nothing less than a deliberate delaying tactic intended to obstruct the committee setup and idle the National Assembly." He argued that while the Democratic Party had accommodated the schedule at the opposition's request, the People Power Party was only being obstinate. He also stressed, "It is a declaration of war against the people to bind the hands and feet of the government by making even national interests and people's livelihoods a sacrifice to political strife."
Earlier, Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik drew up a committee roster on his own after the People Power Party failed to submit a committee list, and demanded a response by noon that day. But when the People Power Party once again gave no response by the final deadline, Cho notified the rival parties that a plenary session would be held on June 30.
The People Power Party pushed back strongly, with floor leader Chung Jum-sik arguing that it was "intimidation, not negotiation." Chung criticized at a party meeting that day, "With what shame is the Democratic Party saying it will take the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair again?" At the meeting, the majority opinion was reportedly that the Legislation and Judiciary Committee could never be conceded. Some senior lawmakers were reported to have argued that if the People Power Party cannot secure the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair, it should give up all 18 standing committee chairs and wage all-out war.
While the Democratic Party has not yet formalized "monopolizing the committee chairs," analysts say a monopoly appears inevitable, as it is difficult to distribute committee chair posts without the opposition's cooperation. In this case, a vegetative Assembly is expected to recur, as in the first half of the 21st National Assembly in 2020, when the Democratic Party took all the committee chairs. The People Power Party's position is that if the Democratic Party ultimately refuses to concede the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair, it will use all possible hardline countermeasures, including a filibuster and outdoor protests.
