Members of media and social organizations gather outside the Constitutional Court of Korea Thursday in a press conference, after the court ruled the media reform bills valid. / Korea Times photo by Kim Joo-seong |
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) called for renegotiations of the media-related bills, Thursday, expressing regret over the Constitutional Court's ruling.
The party said it is considering proposing new bills that would revise the bills, scheduled to take effect from Nov. 1.
"The ruling revealed that justice remains within opposition parties, but the power seems to remain within the governing party," said DP spokesman Noh Young-min.
Yet, the ruling showed that the procedures in the passage of the laws were unlawful and breached the principle of not reopening a settled case during a single session, Noh said. "The court's decision calls on the National Assembly to settle the illegitimacy of the law by itself," he added.
Rep. Woo Yoo-keun of the DP also criticized the ruling, saying it was politically charged.
"It would be difficult for anyone who has a common sense of law to accept the ruling," he said.
Woo said it was no different from forcing the people to accept a successful coup, regardless of its purpose.
The Democratic Labor Party (DLP) said that the ruling was paradoxical and would be remembered as a politically influenced one.
DLP spokesman Woo Wi-yeong said that the court acted as a puppet of those in power and voluntarily threw away its conscience.
The governing Grand National Party and Cheong Wa Dae, meanwhile, said they would respect the ruling.
GNP spokesman Cho Hae-jin called on opposition parties to respect the ruling and cooperate in drawing up the follow-up measures.
Cho also said that violence in the passage of bills should never recur.
The passage of the four media bills ignited outcries from opposition parties. The DP claimed that many of the votes were cast not by legislators but by their aides or colleagues during scuffles between lawmakers.
During a parliamentary session in July, some 150 ruling party lawmakers cast their votes, passing the bills with a strong majority.
The DP filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, calling for nullification of the bills, citing procedural violations.
The nine-member Constitutional Court agreed with the DP's claim of the violations, acknowledging there were proxy votes and that an immediate revote on a single legislation is against the Assembly's rules.
The court, however, concluded that the passage of the bills is still legitimate.
leeth@koreatimes.co.kr
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