PPP Slams Assembly Organization Push: "Arrogant, Self-Righteous Politics... Absolutely Reject Decisions Made Behind Closed Doors"

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The People Power Party strongly objected on the 30th after the Democratic Party of Korea decided to unilaterally elect 11 standing committee chairs, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair—a post that had been the main sticking point in negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the organization of the National Assembly. The party denounced the move as "arrogant and self-righteous politics."

Jeong Jeom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, concluded a closed-door general assembly of party lawmakers after the start of the standing committee chair election in the National Assembly plenary session that day, stating, "This is not an organization of the Assembly," and added, "They are divvying up the standing committees among themselves behind closed doors and telling the minority opposition to take whatever is left, if anything at all."

He continued, "We absolutely cannot accept decisions made behind closed doors. The People Power Party will not respond to this kind of one-sided, negotiation-free, 'crumb-sharing' approach to forming the Assembly's organization," adding, "From this point forward, all responsibility for running state affairs lies solely with the Democratic Party."

People Power Party lawmakers are holding a protest in the main plenary hall on the 30th, demanding the suspension of the standing committee chairman elections related to the second half of the National Assembly organization. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Earlier, at the general assembly held just before the plenary session, Floor Leader Jeong also criticized the Democratic Party's unilateral election of committee chairs, asking, "What justification does the Democratic Party possibly have to claim the Legislation and Judiciary Committee?"

He condemned the Democratic Party's re-nomination of Assemblywoman Seo Young-gyo—who chaired the Legislation and Judiciary Committee in the first half of the Assembly—as its candidate for the position, saying, "No other chair, not Jeong Cheong-rae, Lee Chun-seok, or Choo Mi-ae, turned both the National Assembly and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee into as much of a mess as the underqualified candidate did," and added, "It is a cunning reappointment in obedience to the presidential order (from President Lee Jae-myung) to pass the special prosecutor bill on the withdrawal of indictments."

People Power Party lawmakers are paying a protest visit to the Speaker's office on the 30th regarding the organization of the second half of the National Assembly. Yonhap News

After concluding the general assembly just before the plenary session, People Power Party lawmakers sat lined up in the hallway outside the Speaker's Office. Holding picket signs with slogans such as "Runaway National Assembly Organization, Democratic Party-Style Threatening of the People," "Stop the Attempt to Monopolize Standing Committees," and "Obsession with the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Build-up for Dismissing Trials," they chanted slogans led by Kim Tae-gyu, the party's chief spokesperson in the Assembly, including "People are outraged by the forced passage of bills by standing committees that ignore people's livelihoods," and "We denounce the Democratic Party's legislative shield for a dictatorial regime."

When the vote for standing committee chairs began in the plenary session, the People Power Party lawmakers exited the chamber and reconvened their closed-door general assembly.

Previously, the People Power Party had submitted resignations from the committees after Speaker Jo Jeong-sik forcibly appointed its lawmakers to the 11 standing committees to be addressed at the plenary session and notified them accordingly.

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