National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik urged rival parties to complete the committee organization for the second half of the 22nd National Assembly by July 17, Constitution Day. With negotiations over the committee setup stalled for more than 10 days since the second-half session began, Cho called on the parties to accelerate talks to normalize the Assembly.
Cho presided over a "2+2" meeting at the National Assembly on the 9th, attended by Han Byung-do, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Chung Jom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, and deputy floor leaders Chun Jun-ho and Kim Seung-soo. "I strongly request that both parties consult swiftly so that the committee organization can be completed before Constitution Day," Cho said.
Jang Hyun-joo, chief spokesperson for the Speaker's office, said in a briefing after the meeting that "the Speaker watched the process patiently over the 10 days since the June 30 floor leaders' meeting, but expressed regret at seeing a situation that failed to meet public expectations." Jang added that Cho "urged them to consult quickly so that the Assembly can be normalized early."
Cho also asked the parties to hasten agreement on the schedule for the July extraordinary session alongside the committee organization. "There are about 59 bills remaining that were not processed in the first half of the Assembly, and the handling of livelihood bills is also urgent, so he asked them to swiftly consult on the related schedule," Jang explained.
While the two parties agreed that negotiations should be expedited to normalize the Assembly, they reportedly failed to narrow their differences on specific negotiation approaches. "There was a consensus that they should consult swiftly," Jang said, "but how exactly they will consult remains to be seen."
Regarding the Democratic Party's request to hold a plenary session that day, Cho asked that inter-party negotiations be prioritized over convening the session. "The Speaker's decision to call the floor leaders back for another meeting was itself intended to have them consult first," Jang said. "We will watch how the two parties consult going forward."
