People Power Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee urged the Democratic Party of Korea to "immediately withdraw its committee-shopping maneuver" over a special bill on mega industrial zones, which the ruling party is seeking to process through the National Policy Committee instead.
Kim Sung-won, who chairs the industry committee, and other party lawmakers made the call at a press conference at the National Assembly on the 7th. "We cannot help but point out that this is a self-destructive act that undermines the very foundation of the National Assembly's legislative authority, and a cowardly maneuver that deceives the public," they said.
Kim said the industry committee clearly holds jurisdiction over the bill. "The core elements of the mega zone special bill — drafting, designating and deliberating on zone plans — are carried out by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy as the lead agency, and even Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan himself acknowledged at a workshop that the ministry would perform most of the key roles once the bill passes," the chair said. "For the government and the ruling party to acknowledge that jurisdiction lies with our committee while still sending the bill to the National Policy Committee runs directly counter to the purpose of the law."
The lawmakers said the push to refer the bill elsewhere stemmed from the fact that the industry committee is chaired by a People Power Party member. "The attempt to refer it to the National Policy Committee is nothing more than a political calculation aimed at avoiding proper legislative review," Kim said. "It is clear that the real reason for this attempt is that the industry committee chair belongs to the People Power Party."
They also argued the move infringes on the review rights of lawmakers on the committee with jurisdiction. "The mega zone special bill is a major piece of legislation that will shape the future of core national industries," Kim said. "The more significant a bill is, the more it needs thorough expertise and in-depth review by the standing committee that has actually handled the industry."
Kim also pointed to attempts to merge the mega zone bill with a separate special bill on renewable energy cities, known as the RE100 industrial complex bill, which is pending before his committee. He called that a "maneuver to avoid review by the industry committee of contentious bills."
Koo Ja-keun, the People Power Party's floor secretary on the committee, and other lawmakers called on the Democratic Party to drop the attempt to refer the RE100 industrial complex bill to the National Policy Committee and to cooperate in having the mega zone bill reviewed by the industry committee.
