Lawmaker Choi In-ki, left, chairman of the National Assembly’s ad hoc committee on the new livestock law revision, shakes hands with Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Chang Tae-pyong at parliament Thursday. The latest announcement from the Government Legislation Office could further complicate passage of the revision.
/ Korea Times Photo by Oh Dae-geun |
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
The latest announcement from the Government Legislation Office could further complicate the passage of the new livestock law revision. The office issued an official statement Thursday, warning that the revised terms, agreed to by National Assemblymen, might be unconstitutional.
The debate concerns possible amendments to the existing ``Act on the Prevention of Livestock Epidemics.'' The law aims to prevent infectious diseases in cattle and to better control imports of beef with possible contaminants and infections including mad cow disease.
The statement by the legislation office suggests that Korea's Constitutional Court might eventually take up this issue. The presidential office has told Korean media, however, that it wants to cooperate with the Assembly members and their decision. It said President Lee Myung-bak would not veto the revision if it is officially ratified.
In its announcement, the legislation office, pointed to one particular aspect of the revision involving the lawmakers' role in resuming beef imports.
The current revision, agreed to by lawmakers from the governing Grand National Party (GNP) as well as from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), states that if in the future, new mad cow cases are reported from overseas, a five-year beef import ban would immediately go into effect on the concerned country. The ban would cover only beef from cattle older than 30 months.
To resume importing after that five-year period, the government would need to seek approval from lawmakers.
But according to the legislation office, that requirement may infringe upon the administrative powers of the president. ``There is a possibility that this revision may be found unconstitutional. There exists a need to change the current revision toward resolving this concern,'' according to its statement.
``Resuming or initiating imports and required sanitary terms and conditions resides within the legal authority of the executive branch of the government,'' it said. ``Making it subject to approval from the National Assembly may contradict this responsibility.''
Lawmakers, however, said the office's concerns are unfounded. GNP floor leader Hong Joon-pyo said in a radio interview that the office's claim that the revised terms might be unconstitutional was ``nonsense.''
``Giving the administration full control over beef imports is asking for too much,'' Hong said.
DP spokesman Choi Jae-sung also told Korean media that ``what the legislation office argues is just that: an argument. It's up to the Constitutional Court to decide.''
michaelha@koreatimes.co.kr
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
