22nd National Assembly begins amid boycott by People Power Party

The first plenary session of the 22nd National Assembly commenced without the participation of the People Power Party, marking the first time in constitutional history that the National Assembly began solely with the opposition party, without the ruling party's involvement.

Undeterred by the absence of the ruling party, the Democratic Party of Korea, at the forefront of the opposition parties, took the initiative and unilaterally convened the plenary session on Wednesday. This bold and assertive move was met with objection from the People Power Party, who claimed that the session was not negotiated in advance, leading to their non-participation in the voting process.

The plenary session was a stark visual representation of the political divide. While a total of 192 opposition lawmakers from various parties were present, the People Power Party's floor leader, Choo Kyung-ho, was the sole representative from the ruling party. Floor Leader Choo used his time to criticize the majority opposition for their perceived abuse of power, and then left the National Assembly. In response, People Power Party lawmakers staged a protest in the Rotender Hall of the main National Assembly building, further highlighting the deep political tensions.

In response, the Democratic Party of Korea asserted that the plenary session had been scheduled in accordance with the National Assembly Act. "The Act mandates the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker on Wednesday. We will proceed with our duties as usual," stated Jin Seong-joon, the Democratic Party's deputy floor leader.

The new Speaker of the National Assembly also expressed regret over the ruling party's absence from the election, noting the strong public demand for the prompt and smooth establishment of the National Assembly. "We must finalize the formation of the National Assembly by the deadline. Both ruling and opposition parties should work tirelessly to submit the proposal for the appointment of the Standing Committee by midnight on Friday, as required by the National Assembly Act," the Speaker emphasized.


김은지 기자 unji@donga.com