Minor political parties build policy alliance

Two minor opposition parties agreed to establish a policy alliance on Friday, amid a parliamentary budget review and plenary sessions that have kicked off this month. 

The two floor leaders, Rep. Joo Ho-young of the People’s Party and Rep. Kim Dong-cheol of the minor conservative Bareun Party, announced the six bills they agreed to support and their intended direction in the annual budget deliberation sessions, in their co-hosted press briefing.

“We have agreed to make joint efforts to pass a number of pending bills, including those that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea proposed and those that have obtained support from the public,” the parties said in a statement.

The bills include revising the special inspector law to give the opposition parties the right to appoint a special inspector to watch for corruption of close aides and relatives to the president.

Previously, the two minor parties initiated talks for a possible merger to gain a foothold in the National Assembly, but they failed to develop such a relationship.

Pundits view the policy alliance may be difficult to sustain, as the splinter Bareun Party faces the possible defection of half of its 20 members to the main opposition conservative Liberty Korea Party.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)