Rival parties' tussle to drag on over broadcasting watchdog chief

Lee Dong-kwan, left, chief of the Korea Communications Commission, participates in a Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

The conflict between the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) will likely continue over the latter’s botched attempt to pass an impeachment motion on the chief of Korea’s broadcasting watchdog during a National Assembly session Thursday.

During a DPK Supreme Council meeting, Friday, DPK floor leader Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo said the PPP played a dirty trick by canceling its planned filibuster to impede the impeachment effort.

“The PPP may have postponed the impeachment of problematic figures, but it will not be able to disrupt it," he said. "The DPK will abide by rules and principles to make unlawful public officials face due punishments.”

The comments came a day after political drama took place at Thursday’s Assembly plenary meeting. During the meeting, the DPK, which holds a majority of Assembly seats with 168, unilaterally approved a pro-labor bill and sought to approve a motion to impeach Lee Dong-kwan, chief of the Korea Communications Commission.

The DPK came up with this move because the PPP publicly threatened to stage a filibuster to impede the pro-labor bill and this would leave the plenary meeting open for the next few days.

However, the PPP canceled its filibuster plan and its lawmakers conducted a walkout from the Assembly during the plenary meeting, leaving the DPK to approve the labor bill and others that were tabled on the meeting unilaterally within 15 minutes.

An impeachment motion should be voted on between 24 hours and 72 hours after being reported at a plenary meeting. Since the motion was reported on Thursday, it would be terminated unless the plenary meeting reopens in time. National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo refused to do so, saying it requires consultation between the rival parties.

The DPK reaffirmed, Sunday, its plan to re-submit the impeachment bill against Lee.

Rep. Cho Jeong-sik, its secretary general, said the opposition party will successfully carry out the impeachment of Lee , while launching a parliamentary investigation into his alleged attempt to "control the press" — particularly ahead of next year's general elections.

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo, left, and ruling People Power Party floor leader Rep. Yun Jae-ok, right, attend a National Assembly House Steering Committee meeting on Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

“We gave up our only legal measure to stand up against the majority-holding party yesterday,” PPP floor leader Rep. Yun Jae-ok said during a party meeting, Friday. “We could not let the DPK, blindfolded by political gains, jeopardize state affairs by exploiting impeachment motions.”

Yun added that the DPK is trying to impeach the broadcasting watchdog head, who took the position just three months ago, because of the party’s “distorted greed” to take advantage of fake news by paralyzing the watchdog’s functions so that it can win in next year’s general elections. The watchdog chief’s impeachment motion was proposed over his alleged role in the unfair dismissal of an MBC executive.

Following the botched attempt, the rival parties are butting heads over whether this case meets the Assembly’s law of banning the submission of a dismissed bill or motion within the same session.

The DPK believes that the impeachment motion was not officially tabled for a vote, thus it can be withdrawn and a new motion can be proposed at an upcoming two-day-long plenary meeting in this Assembly session, slated for Nov. 30 to Dec. 1. For this, the DPK said Friday it withdrew the impeachment motion.

“There was no setback in withdrawing the motion,” DPK Rep. Park Joo-min said. “Though we retracted this time, we will continue to pursue the impeachment within the dateline of Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.”

Assembly Speaker Kim approved the withdrawal later on Friday, according to the National Assembly Secretariat.

The PPP, which believes the motion’s reporting itself constitutes its legality, thus it will be terminated after 72 hours, denounced the withdrawal as "preposterous," with its floor leader warning that the party "will take legal actions as the Assembly speaker has already taken such an action."

The floor leader accused the secretariat of being politically biased.

In response to the DPK's reattempt to remove the KCC chief, the PPP denounced the DPK for "mobilizing all kinds of tricks to impeach."

"The DPK is seeking to re-introduce the impeachment bill after the party itself withdrew it," Rep. Park Jeong-ha, the PPP chief spokesperson, said in a statement, also on Sunday, describing the opposition's move as "going too far."

President Yoon Suk Yeol applauds during a ceremony marking the 61st Firefighters' Day at Yongsan Children's Garden in Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps

While the rival parties are butting heads over the impeachment, President Yoon Suk Yeol is facing a tough choice on whether to veto the pro-labor bill, also known as the so-called "yellow envelope bill," which will legally allow workers to go on strike over any issues about their working conditions without concern about government intervention or legal action.

On Saturday, a combined 110,000 members of the nation's two major umbrella unions staged large-scale rallies in central Seoul, urging the swift promulgation of the pro-labor bill.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the largest umbrella union in the country, along with a network of civic groups, called for the resignation of President Yoon near Seodaemun Station in central Seoul. Around 60,000 people attended.

About 50,000 members of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), held a separate rally near Yeouido Station in western Seoul.

During the KCTU rally, two members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, a disability rights advocacy group, were arrested for pushing a police officer.

Though presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-gi said Friday, “The presidential office will hear various opinions” on reviewing the bill, the government appears to be leaning toward a veto, citing the law’s side impacts.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday, “It is very regretful that agendas which can trigger social conflicts are passing through the Assembly without enough deliberation.”

An official at the presidential office said that the bill’s review will begin when it is delivered to the presidential office, but added that “even the previous liberal Moon Jae-in administration avoided pushing the bill because of the chances of it being unconstitutional.”

If Yoon vetoes the bill, it will be the third case of Yoon rejecting a controversial bill passed unilaterally by the DPK. Yoon vetoed a Grain Management Act revision in April and a new nursing act in May.