By Do Je-hae
Rival parties Tuesday reached an agreement on the bill aimed at fixing the debt-ridden pension system for government employees ahead of a National Assembly plenary session.
The bipartisan bill will address some of the conflicting conditions of the two sides, particularly on the civil servants' pension reform in relation to the revision of the National Pension Fund (NPF).
According to the bill unveiled by the ruling Saenuri Party, parties will continue consultations over the main opposition's demand to increase the income replacement ratio of the NPF to 50 percent and other conditions through a new panel of experts on public pension reform.
"Based on our agreements, we will seek to pass the bill during a plenary session Thursday," Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Yoo Seung-Min told reporters Tuesday.
The New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) wants the overall national pension plan to be increased to cover 50 percent of pre-retirement income from the previous 40 percent. Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party had been against the proposal because of the tax burden.
The NPAD will call a general assembly Thursday before the plenary session to ratify the agreement.
But the NPAD has come up with a new condition for passing the bill -- the removal of Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo.
"Dismissing Moon is a necessary pre-condition for ensuring the autonomy of the panel on the public pension," NPAD Rep. Lee Choon-suak said during a meeting Tuesday.
The NPAD sees Moon as an impediment to future bipartisan consultations on reforming the public pension system.
Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung is against drawing Minister Moon into the conflict.
"It is inappropriate to link civil servants' pension reform with other issues," Kim told reporters Tuesday.
The NPAD is calling for a motion to dismiss Moon during the plenary session Thursday. The main opposition is also demanding the withdrawal of the appointment of Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn as prime minister as a precondition to putting the pension bill to a vote.
If these conditions are not met, the NPAD is set to boycott Thursday's plenary session altogether, jeopardizing the passage of the pension bill and 54 other pending bills.
Last-minute disagreements on the pension bill delayed a full session at the legislature, cancelling voting on a series of urgent economy-related bills last month.
According to the reform bill, a civil servant whose monthly salary is three million won ($2,800) will have to pay a 270,000 won pension premium per month, up from the current 210,000 won.
The pension they would receive after retirement will also fall to 1.53 million won from 1.71 million won.
Rival parties Tuesday reached an agreement on the bill aimed at fixing the debt-ridden pension system for government employees ahead of a National Assembly plenary session.
The bipartisan bill will address some of the conflicting conditions of the two sides, particularly on the civil servants' pension reform in relation to the revision of the National Pension Fund (NPF).
According to the bill unveiled by the ruling Saenuri Party, parties will continue consultations over the main opposition's demand to increase the income replacement ratio of the NPF to 50 percent and other conditions through a new panel of experts on public pension reform.
"Based on our agreements, we will seek to pass the bill during a plenary session Thursday," Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Yoo Seung-Min told reporters Tuesday.
The New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) wants the overall national pension plan to be increased to cover 50 percent of pre-retirement income from the previous 40 percent. Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party had been against the proposal because of the tax burden.
The NPAD will call a general assembly Thursday before the plenary session to ratify the agreement.
But the NPAD has come up with a new condition for passing the bill -- the removal of Health and Welfare Minister Moon Hyung-pyo.
"Dismissing Moon is a necessary pre-condition for ensuring the autonomy of the panel on the public pension," NPAD Rep. Lee Choon-suak said during a meeting Tuesday.
The NPAD sees Moon as an impediment to future bipartisan consultations on reforming the public pension system.
Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung is against drawing Minister Moon into the conflict.
"It is inappropriate to link civil servants' pension reform with other issues," Kim told reporters Tuesday.
The NPAD is calling for a motion to dismiss Moon during the plenary session Thursday. The main opposition is also demanding the withdrawal of the appointment of Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn as prime minister as a precondition to putting the pension bill to a vote.
If these conditions are not met, the NPAD is set to boycott Thursday's plenary session altogether, jeopardizing the passage of the pension bill and 54 other pending bills.
Last-minute disagreements on the pension bill delayed a full session at the legislature, cancelling voting on a series of urgent economy-related bills last month.
According to the reform bill, a civil servant whose monthly salary is three million won ($2,800) will have to pay a 270,000 won pension premium per month, up from the current 210,000 won.
The pension they would receive after retirement will also fall to 1.53 million won from 1.71 million won.
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