Nat'l Assembly kicks off regular session amid partisan tensions
Summary
The National Assembly convened a regular session in Seoul Tuesday amid expected clashes between the ruling and opposition parties over next year’s budget and key bills. The 100-day session runs through Dec. 9 and will cover an 821 trillion-won budget proposal and confirmation hearings for six minister nominees picked by President Lee Jae Myung. Speaker Cho Jeong-sik urged lawmakers to prioritize livelihoods, semiconductors, AI, the climate crisis and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Key Facts
- The regular session runs for 100 days through Dec. 9.
- Lawmakers will debate the government’s 821 trillion-won budget proposal for next year.
- Confirmation hearings are planned for six minister nominees selected by President Lee Jae Myung.
- The Democratic Party of Korea has vowed to complete the hearings before the Chuseok holiday starting Sept. 24.
- A three-week audit of government offices is set to begin on Oct. 6.
National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, center, bangs the gavel during a plenary session at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, as Korea's parliament began a 100-day regular session the same day. Yonhap
The National Assembly convened a regular session Tuesday, with heated clashes expected between the ruling and opposition parties over next year's budget and key legislative issues.
During the 100-day session, which runs through Dec. 9, lawmakers are expected to wrangle over the government's 821 trillion-won ($595 billion) budget proposal for next year and confirmation hearings for six minister nominees recently picked by President Lee Jae Myung.
National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik called on lawmakers to make improving people's livelihoods their top priority, saying the country's economic growth driven by a semiconductor boom has yet to be felt by the people in their daily lives.
"The first, second and third priorities are all people's livelihoods," Cho said in his opening address during a plenary session.
Cho also cited artificial intelligence (AI), advanced technologies, youth, the climate crisis and peace on the Korean Peninsula as key agenda items for the country's future.
"A one-year delay in legislation creates a 10-year gap," he said, urging the rival parties to swiftly handle bills related to semiconductors and AI.
A number of contentious bills are likely to take center stage during the regular session, including a proposal to use parts of Yongsan Park in central Seoul for housing development and judicial reform bills.
The floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) are scheduled to give policy speeches Monday and Tuesday, respectively, followed by four days of interpellation sessions, to be attended by the heads of government ministries and key state offices, on politics, diplomacy, security and other issues.
The confirmation hearings for six minister nominees are expected to be held later this month, another potential source of partisan wrangling. The DPK has vowed to complete the hearings before the Chuseok holiday, which starts Sept. 24 this year.
Starting Oct. 6, parliament will conduct a three-week audit of government offices.
The unicameral parliament opens its regular session on Sept. 1 every year for a 100-day run.
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