Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Han Byung-do reiterated Monday that his party must chair the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for the second half of the 22nd National Assembly to function as a working legislature.
Speaking at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Monday, Han said the People Power Party's demand to chair the committee was "tantamount to declaring a livelihood strike in the second-half Assembly."
He said the PPP was offering a self-serving reading of the local election results — arguing that the public's desire for checks and balances meant the opposition should lead the committee. "Have they already forgotten how, since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, they obstructed state affairs at every turn and turned standing committees into tools of political warfare?" Han said.
Han also addressed the ballot shortage that marred the June 3 local elections, calling it "a disaster that cannot be tolerated or understood" as a violation of citizens' right to political participation. He said the Assembly would hold a plenary session this week to pass a parliamentary investigation plan on the shortage and immediately launch a special investigation committee.
He added that the National Election Commission would be held firmly accountable for eroding public trust in elections by abandoning its core duties while sheltering behind its status as a constitutionally independent body.
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