Ruling, opposition parties clash over key committee chairmanships in second-half Assembly lineup

Negotiations begin this week over second-half organization of the 22nd National Assembly

Democratic Party vows to hold Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair to advance reform bills

People Power Party says opposition must lead key committees in line with June 3 election results

National Assembly Speaker Jo Jeong-sik poses for a photo with floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties before a meeting at his office in Yeouido, Seoul, on Thursday. From left: Democratic Party of Korea floor operations chief Rep. Cheon Jun-ho, floor leader Han Byung-do, Speaker Jo, People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik, and Rep. Kim Seung-su, designated floor operations chief. [Joint press corps]

The ruling and opposition parties are expected to launch full-scale negotiations this week over the second-half organization of the 22nd National Assembly, with a fierce battle anticipated over the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and other key standing committees.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is pushing to secure the chairs of major standing committees to give legislative backing to the Lee Jae Myung administration, while the People Power Party argues that, as the second-largest party, the opposition must lead key committees to keep the government and ruling party in check.

According to political sources Sunday, sparring has already begun over the chairmanship of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee — often called the "upper house" of the legislature for its role as the final gateway for major bills — one of 18 standing and permanent special committees.

The Democratic Party is firm in its position that the ruling party must hold the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair to ensure swift passage of livelihood and reform bills that clear other standing committees. The party fears that if the People Power Party takes the chair, it could stall legislation by leaving bills pending in the committee.

The People Power Party is invoking convention — under which the largest party holds the Assembly speakership while the second-largest takes the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair — to press its claim. The party argues that since the ruling bloc already has the power to end filibusters on the floor, giving the committee chair to the opposition is the only way to uphold the democratic principle of checks and balances.

People Power Party floor spokesperson Choi Su-jin said in a statement Sunday that "the only way to heed the stern public mandate of the June 3 local elections — to prevent the privatization of power — is for the opposition to take the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair and fully restore the Assembly's oversight function."

Democratic Party floor spokesperson Lee Ju-hee pushed back in a written briefing, saying "the second-half Assembly must process pressing livelihood issues even more swiftly" and that the party "will never hand the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair to the People Power Party, which has made a habit of delaying legislation."

Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Han Byung-do (right) meets with newly elected People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik, who paid a courtesy visit to Han's office at the National Assembly on Thursday. [Yonhap]

Earlier, Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do said at a field supreme council meeting in Gwangju on Friday that "the Assembly organization must be completed by the 18th" and declared that "the Legislation and Judiciary Committee is not on the table." People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik, for his part, called an opposition-held Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair "an essential element for ending legislative dictatorship and restoring a checks-and-balances Assembly."

Beyond the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, negotiations are also expected to be contentious over the chairs of other major standing committees, including the Political Affairs Committee, the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee, and the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee.

The Democratic Party widely believes that the Lee Jae Myung administration's economic policy agenda was constrained during the first half of the Assembly because the People Power Party held the chairs of the Political Affairs Committee and the Trade and Industry Committee. The party argues that the ruling party must lead the Political Affairs Committee — which handles financial policy and regulatory legislation tied to real estate — and the Trade and Industry Committee, which drives legislation on industry, trade and energy, to advance economic legislation at pace.

There is also a strong sense within the Democratic Party that it cannot yield the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, which oversees broadcasting and telecommunications policy.

The People Power Party, meanwhile, is eyeing the chairs of the Finance and Economy Planning Committee and the Land and Transportation Committee to take the offensive on tax and fiscal issues.

Security-related committees such as the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and the National Defense Committee — which the People Power Party chaired during the first half — could also become sticking points in the negotiations.

Beyond the inter-party contest, there is intense interest within each party over who will actually chair the committees.

Within the Democratic Party, three-term lawmakers who have not previously served as minister or committee chair are expected to take the second-half chairmanships. Names in circulation include Reps. Kim Jeong-ho, Kim Yeong-jin, Song Gi-heon, Lee Eon-ju, Jeon Hyeon-hui and Jin Seong-jun. Reps. Song and Jeon are among those mentioned as potential chairs of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Reps. Seo Sam-seok and Lee Jae-jeong, who each served only one year of what is typically a two-year committee chairmanship, are also being mentioned for second-half chairs.

Three-term lawmakers are likewise the pool of candidates on the People Power Party side. Among them, Reps. Kim Seok-gi, Seong Il-jong, Sin Seong-beom, Yun Han-hong and Lee Cheol-gyu served as standing committee chairs in the first half, while Reps. Kim Seong-won, Kim Jeong-jae, Kim Hui-jeong, Song Seok-jun, Song Eon-seog, Lee Man-hui and Lee Yang-su have not yet done so. Among four-term lawmakers, Ahn Cheol-soo and Yoo Eui-dong have also not held a chairmanship.

Observers widely expect that lawmakers who have not yet chaired a committee will be given priority, though substantive internal discussions over assignments are not expected to begin until the broad outline of the inter-party agreement on Assembly organization takes shape.

carrier@heraldcorp.com