Political Tensions Over Committee Meeting
Choo Mi-ae, the chairperson of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea, has faced criticism from opposition members after rejecting a request to hold a full committee meeting. The issue at hand revolves around the controversy surrounding the prosecution’s decision to abandon its appeal in the “Daejang-dong verdict.” On the 10th, People Power Party-affiliated members of the committee sought to convene a full meeting to address this matter, but Choo’s office announced that the meeting would instead take place on the 11th.
The People Power Party released a statement detailing their efforts to arrange the meeting. According to the party, they first conveyed their intention to request a full committee meeting to address urgent issues on the 8th. Then, on the 9th, they formally submitted a request to the committee’s administrative office and Chairperson Choo’s office. However, the response from Choo and the Democratic Party was a refusal, and as of now, no formal reply has been received regarding the request for the meeting.
The People Power Party had initially proposed holding the full committee meeting at 10:30 a.m. on the day of the request. This was to discuss whether an urgent inquiry should be held into the controversy surrounding the prosecution’s decision to abandon the appeal in the Daejang-dong verdict. Under the current National Assembly Act, a standing committee is required to convene if at least one-fourth of its members request it. With seven out of 18 members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee belonging to the People Power Party, the request met the threshold for a full meeting.
However, Chairperson Choo rejected the request, citing the Democratic Party’s nationwide regional committee chairpersons’ workshop as the reason. This event is a one-night, two-day official party gathering. In a press release issued by the “National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairperson’s Office,” it was stated that the committee proposed to hold the full meeting at 4:30 p.m. on the 11th. The release also mentioned that discussions on the agenda and schedule would proceed. However, the People Power Party informed the committee of their refusal to cooperate unless the witness they requested to appear on the 11th was present.
The statement continued, noting that Chairperson Choo has informed the public that the meeting will proceed as scheduled at 4:30 p.m. on the 11th if the People Power Party refuses to cooperate through the chief committee members.
In response, the People Power Party plans to condemn Chairperson Choo during the full meeting at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s full meeting room at 10:30 a.m. on the 11th. This move highlights the growing tensions between the ruling and opposition parties over procedural matters and the handling of sensitive legal issues within the National Assembly.