By Jun Ji-hye
The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Wednesday that they agreed to discuss details of a North Korean human rights bill at the National Assembly in February.
However, they remained poles apart over whether they will be able to pass the bill.
The governing party said the parties agreed to draw up a bipartisan measure to eventually approve the bill by the end of February, while the DP said that it only agreed to begin relevant discussions.
“Leaders of the rival parties met Tuesday and agreed to approve the North Korean Human Rights Law in the February Assembly,” said Yoon Sang-hyun, the Saenuri Party’s vice floor leader. “As a result of persistent persuasion of the ruling party, the DP has recently shown some changes in its position.”
Speaking at a party meeting attended by senior members, Yoon said that the core content of the North Korean Human Rights Law is to create legal grounds for supporting civic groups working for improving the living conditions of people in Pyongyang.
However, Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the DP was far from optimistic about the prospects for passage of the bill.
He said party leaders just agreed to start earnest discussions at the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee to improve human rights in the North.
“They did not go that far as to agree on passing the bill next month,” Jung said.
He claimed that lawmakers will technically have only about 10 days to handle the bills in February.
“The odds are low that the Assembly can approve one of the most significant bills within that short period,” said Jung.
The human rights issue of the reclusive state has been a subject of political debate between the rival parties for almost 10 years since former Saenuri Party lawmaker Kim Moon-soo, now governor of Gyeonggi Province, submitted a relevant bill in 2005.
DP members have so far taken a cautious attitude in passing the bill, raising concerns about possible controversy over interference in the domestic affairs of the isolated state.
Opposition lawmakers were also worried that the government’s support for civic groups related to North Korean issues, which mostly have strong hostility against the North, could upset the Stalinist state, which could result in deepening already strained inter-Korean relations.
The DP’s long opposition showed signs of change when its chairman, Rep. Kim Han-gil, promised during his New Year press conference that his party will prepare an effective measure to help people in the North.
In the current Assembly, a total of 10 bills related to North Korean human rights are pending ― five submitted by ruling party members and five from the DP lawmakers.
Bills from the governing side are mostly focused on establishing a body to look into the real condition of North Korean human rights, and supporting civic groups that help North Korean defectors.
On the other hand, the DP’s bills are focused on humanitarian assistance and inter-Korean cooperation.