Why do we have to continue watching 'pathetic battles'?

At 10:51 a.m. on June 18, in the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee plenary room, a significant event unfolded. In a meeting held solely by the opposition party amidst the ruling party's boycott of the standing committee, Choi Min-hee, Democratic Party lawmaker and chairman of the committee, passed 16 bills. Among these were the three broadcasting laws (the Broadcasting Act, the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Association Act, and the amendment to the Korea Educational Broadcasting Corporation Act) and the revised Korea Communications Standards Commission Act. These laws, which President Yoon Suk Yeol exercised his right of reconsideration request in the 21st National Assembly, are crucial for the future of broadcasting in Korea. At 11:08 a.m., after a review report of five minutes and 30 seconds by the senior expert committee member, followed by a seven-minute alternative discussion, all four broadcasting laws passed the threshold of the committee. Other procedures, such as bill subcommittee review, draft review (a procedure in which the bill is read and voted on one by one), and pros and cons debates, were skipped.

Indeed, the disastrous operation of the standing committee was not a surprise, given our past experiences. We witnessed a similar situation during the 21st National Assembly when the Democratic Party monopolized all 18 standing committee chair positions while passing the 'Three Lease Acts' and the follow-up bill for the 'High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Agency.' The only difference now is the absence of vocal opposition from the People Power Party members (formerly the United Future Party).

Since then, the operation of the standing committee has become increasingly contentious, with insults, ridicule, and sarcasm becoming more common. On June 21, the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, controlled exclusively by the opposition party, held a legislative hearing on the ‘Corporal Chae Special Prosecutor Act.’ This hearing featured an unprecedented ‘10-minute expulsion.’ Jeong Cheong-rae, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, ordered former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop, former Presidential Secretary for Public Discipline Lee Si-won, and former Marine Corps 1st Division commander Lim Seong-geun to “leave for 10 minutes” and “come back after reflection.” The reasons were for interfering with the chairman’s remarks, not answering with ‘yes or no,’ and for ‘offending’ and apologizing. As former Minister Lee was leaving, Rep. Park Jie-won mockingly said, “Tell him to stand with one foot raised and both hands raised.”

Following the shock and horror of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee meeting, the ruling party finally announced its return to the standing committee. The expectation that this would lead to a slight reprieve in the standing committee's turbulent operations proved to be a misjudgment. On Tuesday morning, ruling party lawmakers attended the Legislative and Judiciary Committee meeting for the first time. People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom, newly appointed as the ruling party secretary, addressed Chairman Chung, saying, “Let’s appoint the ruling party secretary first and set the agenda.”