It's long overdue for parties to act responsibly
Few would dispute that the 19th National Assembly, which ended its four-year term Sunday, was one of the worst-performing parliaments in Korean history. In 2014, the legislature didn't pass a single bill for nearly five months amid a partisan deadlock over the proposed Sewol bill. Over the last four years, 18,000 bills and resolutions had been submitted, but nearly 10,000 of them were thrown out.
The 20th Assembly, which began its term Monday, must show a drastic change, learning lessons from the malfunctioning 19th Assembly. But the prospects are not that bright amid skepticism that the government and the long-bickering political parties could join forces to head off a myriad of challenges facing the nation.
The opposition's first parliamentary majority in nearly 30 years requires both the ruling and opposition parties to pursue dialogue and compromise. The reality, however, is quite the opposite amid the seemingly greater chance for partisan clashes in the new Assembly.
Even before the opening of the 20th legislature, there were mounting political tensions between President Park Geun-hye and the opposition parties. On Friday, President Park vetoed a revision to the National Assembly Act that would have allowed parliamentary committees to hold hearings more frequently. The veto triggered an immediate backlash from the opposition, which vowed to put the bill up for a vote again in the new Assembly.
It's regrettable that the dispute over parliamentary hearings has been standing in the way of cooperative governance, especially since last month's general election handed a stunning defeat to the ruling Saenuri Party. This political stalling is in contrast to what the public wants, which is allowing the legislature to contribute to boosting their livelihoods.
The premature confrontation is feared to delay negotiations over how to form the new Assembly. Floor leaders of the main parties agreed last week to form a parliamentary chair group by June 7 and restructure the Assembly committees by June 9. But if the past is any guide, the chances of the parties meeting the deadlines are slim. Since a constitutional revision in 1987, not a single Assembly has met deadlines. It took 125 days for the 14th legislature to finish its parliamentary formation in 1988.
In fact, negotiations to form the Assembly have made little headway. The parties have neared agreement on a compromise that would allow the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea to undertake the Assembly chairmanship and the parties to split the 18 committee chairmanships ― eight for the Saenuri Party, eight for the MPK and two for the People's Party. But they are clashing over which parties will be in charge of committees for steering, judiciary matters and budget settlement.
The 20th Assembly is facing more stringent circumstances than any Assembly has ever faced before. The only way for the nation to cope with this looming crisis is to normalize politics.
The first step toward that goal is to meet the schedule for beginning the 20th Assembly. It's long overdue for the parties to act responsibly.
Few would dispute that the 19th National Assembly, which ended its four-year term Sunday, was one of the worst-performing parliaments in Korean history. In 2014, the legislature didn't pass a single bill for nearly five months amid a partisan deadlock over the proposed Sewol bill. Over the last four years, 18,000 bills and resolutions had been submitted, but nearly 10,000 of them were thrown out.
The 20th Assembly, which began its term Monday, must show a drastic change, learning lessons from the malfunctioning 19th Assembly. But the prospects are not that bright amid skepticism that the government and the long-bickering political parties could join forces to head off a myriad of challenges facing the nation.
The opposition's first parliamentary majority in nearly 30 years requires both the ruling and opposition parties to pursue dialogue and compromise. The reality, however, is quite the opposite amid the seemingly greater chance for partisan clashes in the new Assembly.
Even before the opening of the 20th legislature, there were mounting political tensions between President Park Geun-hye and the opposition parties. On Friday, President Park vetoed a revision to the National Assembly Act that would have allowed parliamentary committees to hold hearings more frequently. The veto triggered an immediate backlash from the opposition, which vowed to put the bill up for a vote again in the new Assembly.
It's regrettable that the dispute over parliamentary hearings has been standing in the way of cooperative governance, especially since last month's general election handed a stunning defeat to the ruling Saenuri Party. This political stalling is in contrast to what the public wants, which is allowing the legislature to contribute to boosting their livelihoods.
The premature confrontation is feared to delay negotiations over how to form the new Assembly. Floor leaders of the main parties agreed last week to form a parliamentary chair group by June 7 and restructure the Assembly committees by June 9. But if the past is any guide, the chances of the parties meeting the deadlines are slim. Since a constitutional revision in 1987, not a single Assembly has met deadlines. It took 125 days for the 14th legislature to finish its parliamentary formation in 1988.
In fact, negotiations to form the Assembly have made little headway. The parties have neared agreement on a compromise that would allow the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea to undertake the Assembly chairmanship and the parties to split the 18 committee chairmanships ― eight for the Saenuri Party, eight for the MPK and two for the People's Party. But they are clashing over which parties will be in charge of committees for steering, judiciary matters and budget settlement.
The 20th Assembly is facing more stringent circumstances than any Assembly has ever faced before. The only way for the nation to cope with this looming crisis is to normalize politics.
The first step toward that goal is to meet the schedule for beginning the 20th Assembly. It's long overdue for the parties to act responsibly.
![[GOING ELECTRIC] The complex decision to buy an electric scooter in Korea](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/d8d6ba5551db4b03a4b66028de81485e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Female leadership not just diversity issue, but survival necessity](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/611c91682e4b473780243e06e9555410.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[ANALYSIS] Why is N. Korea not allowed to launch spy satellites?](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/cc538720ced042fab4c58f91064a6b5c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
