Rival parties at odds over special counsel probe, pension reform as end of 21st Nat'l Assembly nears

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, center, People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, right, and Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, left, clap at a banquet for first-term members of the National Assembly in Seoul, May 21. Yonhap

The ruling and opposition parties continued to disagree Monday on the national pension reform plan and a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has called for passing the pension reform plan during a plenary session scheduled for Tuesday, the final session before the current National Assembly's term expires.

The two sides earlier agreed on raising the premium from 9 percent to 13 percent of one's income but disagreed on the income replacement rate, which is the pension as a percentage of a subscriber's average lifetime income.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has proposed an income replacement rate of 44 percent, up from the 40 percent set for 2028, while the DPK has suggested 45 percent.

PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho called for resolving the issue in the incoming National Assembly.

"Pension reform is a historic task that affects everyone ... Rushing it through without national consensus will be met with strong resistance," Choo said during a party meeting.

During a Supreme Council meeting, DPK leader Lee Jae-myung said the parties should at least pass the reform plan based on what was agreed, stressing they should not miss this "golden" time.

At Tuesday's session, the DPK is also looking to override the presidential veto and pass a bill on the appointment of a special counsel to look into allegations President Yoon Suk Yeol's office and the defense ministry inappropriately interfered in the military's probe into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was killed during a search mission for victims of heavy downpours in July 2023.

The bill, which was passed by the opposition-controlled parliament early this month but vetoed by Yoon, will be put up for a revote Tuesday.

For a bill to pass the National Assembly in a revote, it requires a majority of the 300-member parliament to be present and two-thirds of them to cast their ballots in favor.

The DPK currently holds 155 seats, and together with splinter parties and independent lawmakers, the number could rise to about 180.

Unless there is support from some ruling party lawmakers, the bill would be scrapped during the current session of the National Assembly. (Yonhap)