Nat'l Assembly set to vote on gov't reorganization bill after filibuster

Rep. Park Soo-min of the main opposition People Power Party speaks in front of a nearly empty plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, during a filibuster to block the passage of a government reorganization bill. Yonhap

The National Assembly is set to vote Friday on a government reorganization bill fiercely protested by the main opposition party following an end to its filibuster.

The revision to the Government Organization Act, the first of its kind under the Lee Jae Myung administration, centers on abolishing the prosecution office and establishing two new agencies to take on its investigative and indictment powers.

It also calls for stripping the Ministry of Economy and Finance of its budget planning role and setting up an office for budget management under the prime minister's office, transferring the industry ministry's oversight of energy policy to the environment ministry, and renaming the environment ministry to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.

The main opposition People Power Party has opposed the bill, saying it is being pushed hastily without sufficient debate.

The party launched a filibuster Thursday to block the legislation, but the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) introduced a motion to end it. A vote on the motion is scheduled to take place around 6:30 p.m. Friday.

With a majority in parliament, the DPK is expected to end the filibuster and pass the government reorganization bill through the National Assembly.