2023-11-09 17:32:18
Intense battle over impeachment and filibuster
End of plenary session… Hae-yun Jae-ok, unable to vote on the impeachment bill, feared opposition within the party as a ‘hidden card’ until just before withdrawal Hong Ik-pyo hid it from anyone other than the leadership, “requested a plenary session to the Speaker of the National Assembly” Policy of recurrence within 30 days after withdrawal of impeachment bill
▲ Lee Jae-myung (third from the left) Representative of the Democratic Party of Korea and lawmakers are talking after submitting the ‘Yellow Envelope Act’ (amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) to the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 9th. By Ahn Joo-young, Professional Reporter The Democratic Party of Korea reported to the plenary session of the National Assembly the impeachment motion against Korea Communications Commission Chairman Lee Dong-kwan and two prosecutors on the 9th, but the People Power Party used the ‘Yellow Envelope Act’ (Amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) to block the vote on the impeachment bill. The ruling and opposition parties engaged in a fierce battle, including withdrawing the filibuster (unlimited debate) on the three broadcasting laws (amendments to the Broadcasting Act, Broadcasting Culture Promotion Act, and Korea Educational Broadcasting Corporation Act). The large opposition party, caught off guard, urged National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo to hold a plenary session on the 10th, and plans to pass the impeachment bill until the end, even if it means reconsidering it.
The People Power Party’s withdrawal of the filibuster was ‘Plan B’ that floor leader Yoon Jae-ok planned this morning. It was a ‘hidden card’ that was hidden from members of the party except the leadership until just before its withdrawal. This is because they were concerned about the operation being exposed to the Democratic Party or opposition within the party to giving up the filibuster. Floor Leader Yoon explained that he decided to give up the filibuster only after encouraging lawmakers to leave the plenary session right before invoking the filibuster, and it is known that lawmakers generally accepted Floor Leader Yoon’s policy.
The impeachment motion against Chairman Lee can be handled solely by the Democratic Party, which has 168 seats. However, the impeachment bill will be automatically discarded if it is not voted on within 24 hours or 72 hours after the plenary session reports. If the People Power Party forces a filibuster to block the Yellow Envelope Act as planned and the plenary session continues for 24 hours, the Democratic Party will be able to proceed with a vote on the impeachment bill on the 10th. Accordingly, the People Power Party gave up the filibuster and ended the plenary session around 4 p.m. that day.
Even if the Yellow Envelope Act and the Three Broadcasting Acts pass the National Assembly, it appears that the priority is to protect Chairman Lee, as he can recommend that the President exercise his right to request reconsideration (veto). If Chairman Lee’s impeachment bill is passed in the National Assembly, Chairman Lee’s duties will be suspended until the decision of the Constitutional Court, and the Korea Communications Commission will become a one-member system with Vice Chairman Lee Sang-in, making work virtually impossible due to the lack of the minimum quorum. Ultimately, this means that the Democratic Party had to block the attempt to tie the hands and feet of the Korea Communications Commission until next year’s general election.
In response, the Democratic Party criticized the ruling party’s withdrawal of the filibuster as a ‘trick’. Hong Ik-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said, “The impeachment bill is supposed to be processed within 24 to 72 hours, so I requested Chairman Kim to hold a plenary session.” However, floor leader Yoon dismissed it, saying, “Once today’s vote is over, the impeachment bill will be automatically discarded.”
Floor Leader Hong also hinted at the possibility of withdrawing the impeachment bill on the 10th and pushing it forward again, considering the possibility that the principle of ‘one shot’ (that once a motion has been rejected cannot be submitted as an agenda again within the same session) will be applied to the impeachment bill proposed that day.
As of now, the plenary session schedule agreed upon by the ruling and opposition parties is the 23rd and 30th of this coming month and the 1st of next month, but Chairman Kim will travel overseas, including Mexico, to host the Busan Expo from the 11th to the 22nd. If the Democratic Party reissues the impeachment bill, it is also considering the possibility of reporting the impeachment bill to the plenary session on the 30th and then voting on it on the 1st of next month.
Reporters Ha Jong-hoon and Choi Hyun-wook
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