Negotiations Stalled as Parties Clash Over National Assembly Leadership

Negotiations between South Korea's ruling and opposition parties over the leadership structure of the National Assembly remain at an impasse. On June 29, the floor leaders and deputy floor leaders of both parties met but failed to narrow their differences.

Han Byeong-do, the Democratic Party's floor leader, emphasized to reporters after the meeting, "If we cannot form the committees by tomorrow (June 30), we will have no face to show the public." He added, "We have made a decision" and announced plans to request a session from National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik to expedite the leadership structure discussions.

Deputy Floor Leader Cheon Jun-ho also stated, "We will do our utmost to end the paralysis of the National Assembly and restore its normal operations."

Following their meeting, Han and Cheon visited the Speaker's office to discuss the situation. Afterward, Han told reporters, "We requested the Speaker to convene a session," and noted, "The Speaker indicated he would call for a session. We will also prepare accordingly."

Meanwhile, Jung Jeom-sik, the floor leader of the People Power Party, expressed frustration after the negotiations with the Democratic Party broke down. He stated, "We cannot give up the Judiciary Committee chair under any circumstances," and explained that the Democratic Party's declaration to unilaterally proceed with committee chair appointments at the upcoming session led to the collapse of negotiations.

He added, "During today's party meeting, we resolved to delegate all authority regarding the leadership structure negotiations to the floor leader. This is a desperate call that we cannot concede the Judiciary Committee. I deeply regret the absence of dialogue and compromise within the National Assembly. The Democratic Party's unilateral approach must be dismantled."