Standoff in National Assembly intensifies over key committees


The National Assembly Speaker, Rep. Woo Won-shik, held a press conference at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Monday, where he addressed the ongoing standoff between rival political parties over the selection of key standing committee chairs. The tension arose from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's decision to unilaterally claim 11 out of 18 standing committee chair positions for the first two years of the 22nd National Assembly. This move led to the ruling People Power Party boycotting plenary sessions since the first Assembly meeting on June 5. Speaker Woo pledged to reach a conclusion on the selection of committee leaders and members, emphasizing the need for the rival parties to come to an agreement as soon as possible. He proposed that the first-largest party should head 11 committees, while the second-largest party should be allocated 7 committees. Additionally, the main opposition leader, Rep. Lee Jae-myung, called for the ruling party to return to the Assembly and criticized their boycott as a disregard for the Constitution and the National Assembly Act. In summary, the political tension in the National Assembly revolves around the allocation of standing committee chair positions, with the main opposition party's unilateral decision leading to a standoff with the ruling party. Speaker Woo and opposition leader Lee Jae-myung have urged for a swift resolution to the deadlock, emphasizing the need for both parties to reach a compromise.


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