Democratic Party pushes for housing supply, broadcasting bills; speaker gives no firm answer
Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Han Byung-do met with National Assembly Speaker Jo Jeong-sik on Wednesday to request a plenary session Thursday to take up housing supply bills and other key livelihood legislation. However, Jo gave no firm answer on whether the session would be held, leaving the matter unresolved.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting at the National Assembly, Han said there were many important bills still awaiting action. "There are numerous key livelihood-related bills currently pending, including the Urban Renewal Promotion Act, the Urban Improvement Act, four broadcasting bills and the Democratic Patriots Act, as well as housing supply legislation," he said.
Han said he had asked the speaker to convene a plenary session Thursday to pass those bills. "The speaker listened carefully but did not give a definitive answer — he said he would get back to us," Han added.
The Democratic Party has said the bills need to be passed quickly. Senior floor management deputy floor leader Cheon Jun-ho, asked which bills were the priority, said all of them were important. "These are bills that have been put off for a long time, so they need to be dealt with promptly," Cheon said.
Cheon also argued that holding a plenary session Thursday was a matter of course. "Under the National Assembly Act, a session is to be held every Thursday, so we consider it entirely natural that one will be held," Cheon said, adding that the speaker had listened to their position and was expected to consult with the People Power Party as well.
The two parties clashed at the Thursday plenary session on Nov. 5 over the handling of contentious bills, including a special prosecutor act on fabricated indictments. The Democratic Party had pushed to take up the special prosecutor act along with the Urban Improvement Act and the Urban Renewal Promotion Act, but the People Power Party objected, insisting that only bills agreed upon by both sides should be put to a vote.
The People Power Party also said it would launch a filibuster — unlimited debate used as a legal procedural obstruction — if any unresolved contested bills were put on the agenda.
With the Democratic Party again pressing for a plenary session, Speaker Jo is expected to decide whether to convene one Thursday after gathering input from both parties.
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