Speaker Jo and Ruling and Opposition Floor Leaders Meet: "Consensus Reached on Special Investigation Committee and Livelihood Consultative Body"

"Leadership Structure Should Be Finalized Quickly"
No Discussion on Special Prosecutor

Jo Jung-sik, Speaker of the National Assembly, Han Byung-do, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party, and Chung Jeom-sik, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, held a meeting on June 11 and reached a consensus on launching a special parliamentary investigation committee regarding the "ballot paper shortage crisis" that occurred during the 9th nationwide local elections. They also discussed the establishment of a consultative body to handle non-contentious livelihood-related bills.

Jang Hyun-joo, Senior Secretary for Public Relations at the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly, met with reporters immediately after the meeting that afternoon and stated, "Speaker Jo proposed that the National Assembly should convene a plenary session as soon as possible, preferably next week, to form the special investigation committee and discuss the investigation plan. Both floor leaders agreed with this approach."

Cho Jung-sik (center), Speaker of the National Assembly, is meeting with Han Byung-do (left), Floor Leader of the Democratic Party, and Jung Jeom-sik (right), Floor Leader of the People Power Party, at the National Assembly on June 11, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Jang added, "We expect that the two floor leaders will further discuss the schedule for the plenary session next week." However, there was no substantive discussion during the meeting about introducing a special prosecutor regarding the ballot paper shortage incident. He clarified, "There was no discussion about a special prosecutor."

Additionally, Speaker Jo proposed that, if the plenary session related to the parliamentary investigation committee is held next week, around 50 non-contentious bills should be processed. Jang also conveyed that Speaker Jo asked for cooperation to ensure that the motion requesting a confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han Sung-sook is handled smoothly through proper scheduling and consensus.

Speaker Jo also urged for acceleration in forming the leadership structure for the latter half of the National Assembly's term. However, it was reported that no specific plan was presented.

Furthermore, Speaker Jo suggested that "for the National Assembly to truly serve the people, a principle should be established that any bill passing the standing committees or the Legislation and Judiciary Committee must be processed within the same session." He also proposed the creation of a livelihood legislation consultative body, in which the Speaker and the floor leaders of both parties would meet at least once every month.

Regarding this, Jang stated, "Both floor leaders agreed to the formation of the livelihood legislation consultative body, and there was a consensus on holding regular meetings." He added, "In particular, there was strong agreement that non-contentious bills should be processed swiftly, and we expect this will become the foundation moving forward."

Meanwhile, Speaker Jo and the two floor leaders held a closed-door meeting for about 30 minutes that afternoon. Before the closed session, Speaker Jo and Floor Leader Han congratulated Floor Leader Chung on his election the previous day.

Speaker Jo remarked, "I would like to thank both floor leaders for enabling the National Assembly to process the report on the request for a parliamentary investigation without delay at today’s plenary session." He added, "For an effective and productive National Assembly, I ask both floor leaders to conclude negotiations rapidly with their outstanding capabilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.