By Jun Ji-hye
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) rejected a request Monday from the ruling Saenuri Party to cooperate on passing a number of heavily disputed economic and labor bills proposed by the Park Geun-hye administration.
The odds that the bills will gain approval during the 19th National Assembly are now considerably lower, with its term scheduled to end on May 29. Bills that remain unapproved during a four-year Assembly term are automatically discarded.
“The results of the general election show that the economic bills pushed by Cheong Wa Dae were disapproved of by the public,” said MPK floor leader Rep. Lee Jong-kul, referring to the ruling party’s losses in the April 13 general election. “The bills on reforming the services industry and the labor sector should undergo reexamination from square one.”
Lee made the remarks during a meeting with his counterparts from the ruling party and the minor opposition People’s Party as well as National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa.
The participants agreed to hold an extraordinary session of the National Assembly from April 21 to discuss whether to pass other bills.
President Park and the ruling camp have been desperate to push ahead with the bills, which they say are aimed at creating jobs and spurring economic growth.
But opposition parties claim that the services industry bill would pave the way for the privatization of all medical services, which would result in a dramatic increase in medical costs, while the labor reform bills would make it easier for employers to fire employees and hire temporary workers.
Arguments from the opposition bloc have been apparently encouraged by the result of the general election after the MPK and the People’s Party bagged a total of 161 of 300 parliamentary seats to the ruling party’s 122.
Rep. Lee argued that instead, the parties should focus on other economic bills designed to protect small- and medium-sized businesses, increase jobs for young people and prevent soaring jeonse prices, or key money deposits for long-term property rentals.
For his part, Rep. Joo Seung-yong, floor leader of the People’s Party, called for extending the term of a special committee investigating the Sewol ferry disaster.
“The government is planning to salvage the sunken ship in July,” he said. “It would be meaningless if the term of the committee ends as scheduled at the end of June.”
The Sewol sank on April 16, 2014, killing more than 300 people, most of whom were teenagers on the way to Jeju Island on a school trip.
Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-chul commented: “The 19th Assembly has been criticized a the worst parliament ever (with the worst-ever legislative efficiency). Members of the ruling party, including me, feel great responsibility for that.”
Later in the day, Rep. Chun Jung-bae, co-chairman of the People’s Party, said during a party meeting that he will push for holding hearings to unearth the truth behind “deep-rooted evils” of the eight-year conservative governments led by former President Lee Myung-bak and President Park.
The evils cited by Chun included the Sewol ferry disaster, defense industry corruption, the passage of an anti-terrorism bill, tax hikes targeting ordinary people, suppression of the press, the decision on the state-authored history text book and the shutdown of the Gaeseong Industry Complex, as well as the Lee administration’s resource diplomacy.
“By mobilizing all our power, we should firmly clean up the deep-rooted evils of the eight years of conservative governments,” Chun said.
He added that the People’s Party will do the utmost to become a reformative party and push for realistic and effective policies so that it can give hope to ordinary people.
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