Opposition Is Quick to Combat Critics of Its Legislative Action

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Opposition Is Quick to Combat Critics of Its Legislative Action

Reacting to criticism that it was trying to ram through the National Assembly the party's versions of amendments to a number of laws, the main opposition Grand National Party on Thursday went on the defensive.

"The ruling party is making too much of an issue over this," Kim Ki-bae, the party's secretary-general, said.

"We did not push it through on the force of our numbers," Lee Jae-oh, the opposition floor leader, asserted.

They were referring to the passage Wednesday of an amendment to the Public Officials for Education Act that would raise the retirement age for teachers from 62 to 63. The amendment passed on the endorsement of eight Grand Nationals and one member of the United Liberal Democrats, a minor opposition party. The seven Millennium Democrats on the Education Committee left the meeting without voting.

"We are righting the wrong committed in 1999 when the ruling coalition pushed through the amendment that reduced the retirement age to 62," Mr. Lee said.

The ruling Millennium Democratic Party rejected the opposition's stance.

"This is parliamentary fascism," Ham Seung-huie, an MDP representative, said.

"The president needs to veto it," Representative Bae Ki-woon, also of the ruling party said.

The ruling party is expressing concern not only with the passage of the amendment on the mandatory retirement age for teachers. The party has questioned a host of other laws up for revision during the National Assembly's main session, which ends Dec. 9. Among the other laws that could be amended are the Act on Real Name Financial Transactions and Guarantee of Secrecy, the Inter-Korea Cooperation Fund Act, and the Inter-Korea Exchange and Cooperation Act.

The opposition vowed to press the retirement issue, but has not pushed revisions of the other laws.

Oh Hong-keun, the Blue House spokesman, said the president will "carefully consider public opinion" in deciding whether to veto the opposition plan to raise the teacher retirement age.



by Lee Sang-il

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