Showdown looms today as Assembly prepares vote
Following former chairwoman Park Geun-hye’s opposition to the Grand National Party’s plan to use its majority to push through media industry reform bills, GNP lawmakers discuss their next move inside the main chamber of the legislature. [YONHAP]
Representative Ahn Sang-soo, floor leader of the majority ruling GNP, vowed to pass the bills today. “I believe National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o will introduce the bills no matter what happens,” Ahn said.
“Without passing the bills, we will not leave the main chamber,” Ahn said. “If we cannot strike a deal with the Democrats by midnight [as of yesterday], there will be no more negotiations.” Ahn said he told his DP counterpart, Lee Kang-rae, that the DP should present its versions of bills at the plenary session for voting. “I have asked Kim to introduce their bills for voting as well,” Ahn said.
Grand Nationals currently occupy 169 of the 295-seat National Assembly - more than the majority needed to pass the bills.
The GNP leadership’s plan to ram through the bills by using its majority, however, faced an unforeseen obstacle yesterday as its former chairwoman expressed her opposition. Park said she will oppose the media industry reform bills if they are directly introduced for voting by National Assembly speaker Kim, Representative Lee Jung-hyun, a close aide of Park, said yesterday.
According to Lee, Park’s remarks were made in response to what Ahn said earlier in the day. After Ahn told journalists that Park would attend today’s voting session on the media bills, Park said she had never agreed. Park then said she would vote against the bills if a voting session is arranged by the National Assembly speaker’s authority, Lee said.
Park’s remarks were in line with her earlier stance that the Grand Nationals and the Democrats must reach an agreement prior to voting on how to reform the nation’s media industry. Lee said the position is Park’s individual opinion, and she is not forcing it on other pro-Park lawmakers.
The GNP leadership was baffled by Park’s uncooperative attitude on the eve of the looming war inside the main chamber. It was unclear whether Kim will introduce the bills for voting or not. Kim told the ruling and opposition parties to agree on a legislative timetable for today’s session and inform him before the end of yesterday.
While condemning the GNP leadership’s plan to push forward the media bills, Democrats hailed Park’s remarks. “It must have been a difficult decision, but Park has made the right choice,” Noh Young-min, DP spokesman, said, urging Kim to not introduce the bills for voting.
DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun said the GNP’s unilateral handling of the media bills has turned the National Assembly into a battleground. He went on a hunger strike starting yesterday and proposed a meeting with President Lee Myung-bak to discuss the fate of bills, according to Ooh Che-chang, another DP spokesman.
“Starting tomorrow, we will be at war,” said DP floor leader Lee. “All 84 DP lawmakers must unite to overcome this predicament.”
Inside the main chamber, war clouds loomed briefly in the morning. About 70 GNP lawmakers abruptly entered the hall and surrounded the podium of the Assembly speaker around 8:10 a.m. DP lawmakers rushed to the main chamber in response.
As tensions escalated, National Assembly Secretary-General Park Kye-dong issued an order barring all lawmakers’ aides from entering the main legislative building. Only lawmakers and the National Assembly staff are permitted in the building.
Following the brief showdown in the morning, the ruling and opposition parties also agreed that both sides would not move to occupy the speaker’s podium before midnight yesterday.
By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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