Opposition Fails to Meet Deadline for Committee Member Submission

The People Power Party did not respond to National Assembly Speaker Kim Jong-un's request for a second deadline for submitting committee member lists by June 26. The two parties failed to narrow their differences during a meeting of their floor leaders and deputy floor leaders, prompting Speaker Kim to pressure the People Power Party by delivering a proposal for the random assignment of committee members. As a result, there are indications that forced assignments of committee members and unilateral handling by the ruling party are imminent.

The Democratic Party and the People Power Party met in the afternoon for negotiations on the assembly composition but walked away after about 16 minutes without reaching an agreement, as neither side was willing to concede the chairmanship of the Legislative Judiciary Committee. Following the meeting, the Democratic Party issued an ultimatum, stating that it would finalize the committee composition unilaterally by the end of the month.

Han Byeong-do, the Democratic Party's floor leader, told reporters after the negotiations collapsed, "All members will be on standby starting June 29. We will ensure that this is resolved by the end of the month. We cannot wait any longer. We have requested the processing of 18 committees from Speaker Kim, and we will prepare accordingly."

Jeong Jeom-sik, the floor leader of the People Power Party, expressed disappointment, saying, "It is unfortunate that we have not made any progress in discussions regarding the Legislative Judiciary Committee. We have strongly protested against the Democratic Party's unilateral actions and will continue to oppose them until the end."

The Democratic Party seeks the chairmanship of the Legislative Judiciary Committee, arguing that it is essential for responsible governance and an effective National Assembly. Conversely, the People Power Party insists that the second-largest party should hold the chairmanship to maintain checks and balances within the National Assembly. The ongoing battle over the chairmanship is critical, as the Legislative Judiciary Committee serves as the final hurdle for all bills before they are presented to the plenary session. The chair can influence the speed and direction of bill processing through their authority.

With negotiations stalled at the chairmanship level, discussions regarding key economic committees, including the Political Affairs Committee, the Industry, Trade, and Energy Committee, the Finance and Economy Committee, and the Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Committee, have yet to commence. Given Speaker Kim's emphasis on forming committees by the end of the month, it is anticipated that the ruling party will finalize the assembly composition unilaterally next week. It is expected that Speaker Kim will forcibly assign committee members from the People Power Party according to National Assembly law and convene a plenary session to elect committee chairs solely from the Democratic Party.

In fact, Speaker Kim delivered a proposed list of committee members, randomly assigned, to the People Power Party and set a deadline for feedback by noon on June 29. Jang Hyun-joo, the National Assembly's Chief of Public Relations, noted, "There will likely be various developments, including party meetings, on the 29th, making it difficult to predict the outcome. However, Speaker Kim is determined to finalize the assembly composition by the end of the month."

In this context, both parties' floor leaders have called for a general meeting of lawmakers on June 29 to share the current status of assembly composition negotiations and discuss future strategies. The Democratic Party plans to have all members on standby following the general meeting, ready to act immediately once a plenary session is scheduled.