Following the April general election, the ruling and opposition camps both pledged to depart from their usual politics to establish a new tradition of collaboration in the 20th National Assembly. The new Assembly kicks off today, but the two camps are back in confrontational mode.
What has strained relations between the two sides is a bill intended to allow parliamentary standing committees to hold hearings more frequently, thus helping them keep close tabs on state affairs.
Under the current modus operandi of the National Assembly, parliamentary committees can hold hearings on “important” matters under their jurisdiction. The bill proposes to allow them to organize hearings on all pending issues related to their business.
After passage by the National Assembly on May 19, the bill was sent to the administration for presidential endorsement. But President Park Geun-hye exercised her veto power against it Friday, on the grounds that when enacted, it would paralyze the government.
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn questioned the constitutionality of the bill, arguing that frequent parliamentary hearings on state affairs would give lawmakers too much power and undermine the constitutional checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches.
Park’s rejection of the bill angered opposition parties. They condemned her objection as an act of disregarding the people and parliament.
They were particularly infuriated by the government’s attempt to prevent them from seeking to override the presidential veto.
Park sent the bill back to parliament on Friday, just two days before the term of the outgoing 19th National Assembly expired. Under the law on the operations of parliament, it takes at least three days for the Assembly to convene an extraordinary session. This means Park returned the bill to parliament knowing that there was no way for the outgoing Assembly to hold a session to handle it.
The ruling party argues that the controversial bill should be seen as having been automatically scrapped, as it has failed to be reconsidered in the 19th National Assembly. It asserts that opposition parties cannot carry a scrapped bill to the 20th Assembly.
The government’s Office of Legislation supports the ruling party’s interpretation.
Opposition parties, however, dismissed this logic and resolved to promote a veto override in the new Assembly.
They are well aware that they cannot override the president’s objection on their own. A veto override requires a two-thirds vote in the Assembly, which means they need at least 200 seats in the 300-seat Assembly. But they control 167 seats altogether.
Opposition parties expect support from non-mainstreamers of the ruling Saenuri Party, as some of its legislators voted for the bill in the 19th National Assembly.
It remains to be seen whether the opposition parties will put their resolve into practice. But whether they seek a veto override or not, one thing is clear: The president’s rejection has undermined the fragile foundation of collaborative politics by triggering a strong backlash from opposition parties.
Park needs to endeavor to improve relations with opposition parties, as cooperation with them is essential to coping with the mounting challenges for the Korean economy. The nation cannot afford to let disputes over issues like parliamentary hearings stymie efforts for structural reforms.
