ID :
162110
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 12:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/162110
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South Korea Parliament opens session after two months of deadlock
(ATTN: UPDATES with passage of 37 bills, formation of special committees, speech by assembly speaker in paras 1-9)
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL (Yonhap) - The National Assembly opened an extraordinary session on Friday after two months of political deadlock caused by the ruling party's bulldozing of a national budget bill last December and passed 37 long-stalled bills, including those necessary to improve the livelihood of the people.
In his opening speech, Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae expressed regret for his former party's passage of the budget bill despite strong resistance from opposition parties.
"I'm happy to see ruling and opposition lawmakers sit in the assembly hall in an amicable atmosphere," Park said. "I feel a deep sense of responsibility for not creating this atmosphere beforehand and also feel sorry for the people."
The parliament decided to create five special committees, including those tasked with coming up with measures to improve the people's livelihood and improving inter-Korean relations, during a main floor meeting held on the first day of the extra session. Each committee will have 20 members and remain active until Aug. 17.
Also approved during the session were 37 bills, including a revision to the civil law that would lower the legal adult age from the current 20 to the age of 19 to reflect rapid social changes and global trends.
The bill, set to become effective as of July 1, 2013, will allow Koreans to engage in legally binding activities without parental consent when they reach 19 years of age.
A revision to the Criminal Procedure Law was voted down in the session.
The prospect of the month-long extra session that will last until March 12 is not bright as the rival parties are far apart on many contentious issues such as the government's response to the foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease outbreaks and the free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the European Union (EU).
The GNP vowed to work out measures to stop the FMD outbreaks during the legislative session, but the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has threatened to demand a parliamentary inspection on the government's sloppy response to the highly contagious animal disease if there is no clear explanation on the cause of the FMD outbreaks in the country.
As for the free trade deal signed in October, the GNP wants it to be ratified during the session. The DP, however, criticizes the FTA, saying it was the outcome of closed-door negotiations.
"We aim to pass a ratification motion for the free trade deal during the extra legislative session in February," Rep. Kim Moo-sung, floor leader of the GNP, told Yonhap News Agency by phone.
"To keep pace with the European Parliament's approval of the deal on Thursday, it is important to have activities to put the ratification motion to a parliamentary standing committee for an intensive discussion."
Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the GNP, who chairs the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, trade and inter-Korean unification, told Yonhap that the ratification motion will be put to vote if the rival parties fail to narrow their differences till the last minutes.
The parties are also at odds over the North Korea human rights bill and a government-proposed bill for giving tax aid to Islam bonds.
The GNP-proposed bill on improving human rights in the North has been stalling in the parliament since it passed a related legislative committee a year ago due to fierce resistance from liberal opposition parties.
The bill calls for an establishment of a government body dedicated to the issue of North Korean human rights and the provision of support for nongovernmental organizations working to improve the situation.
The government also seeks to grant holders of Islam bonds or "sukuk" the same tax exemptions on profits as other traditional forms of bonds in a bid to encourage local companies to issue such debts and lure Middle Eastern oil dollars.
Sukuk is similar to other bonds but different in that the debt provides dividend or lease profits to its holders, instead of interest, as Islamic law prohibits charging or paying of interest.
The bill already sparked controversy with Christians threatening to launch a no-vote campaign on lawmakers who approved the bill. Democrats as well as some ruling party lawmakers oppose the bill on grounds that it is unjust to give tax benefits to a certain religion.
Following Friday's main floor meeting, the Assembly is scheduled to hold addresses of floor leaders on Monday and Tuesday, as well as four workdays of interpellation session with Cabinet ministers from Thursday.
A confirmation hearing for Lee Sang-hoon designated as a justice of the Supreme Court will be held on Wednesday.
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL (Yonhap) - The National Assembly opened an extraordinary session on Friday after two months of political deadlock caused by the ruling party's bulldozing of a national budget bill last December and passed 37 long-stalled bills, including those necessary to improve the livelihood of the people.
In his opening speech, Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae expressed regret for his former party's passage of the budget bill despite strong resistance from opposition parties.
"I'm happy to see ruling and opposition lawmakers sit in the assembly hall in an amicable atmosphere," Park said. "I feel a deep sense of responsibility for not creating this atmosphere beforehand and also feel sorry for the people."
The parliament decided to create five special committees, including those tasked with coming up with measures to improve the people's livelihood and improving inter-Korean relations, during a main floor meeting held on the first day of the extra session. Each committee will have 20 members and remain active until Aug. 17.
Also approved during the session were 37 bills, including a revision to the civil law that would lower the legal adult age from the current 20 to the age of 19 to reflect rapid social changes and global trends.
The bill, set to become effective as of July 1, 2013, will allow Koreans to engage in legally binding activities without parental consent when they reach 19 years of age.
A revision to the Criminal Procedure Law was voted down in the session.
The prospect of the month-long extra session that will last until March 12 is not bright as the rival parties are far apart on many contentious issues such as the government's response to the foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease outbreaks and the free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the European Union (EU).
The GNP vowed to work out measures to stop the FMD outbreaks during the legislative session, but the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has threatened to demand a parliamentary inspection on the government's sloppy response to the highly contagious animal disease if there is no clear explanation on the cause of the FMD outbreaks in the country.
As for the free trade deal signed in October, the GNP wants it to be ratified during the session. The DP, however, criticizes the FTA, saying it was the outcome of closed-door negotiations.
"We aim to pass a ratification motion for the free trade deal during the extra legislative session in February," Rep. Kim Moo-sung, floor leader of the GNP, told Yonhap News Agency by phone.
"To keep pace with the European Parliament's approval of the deal on Thursday, it is important to have activities to put the ratification motion to a parliamentary standing committee for an intensive discussion."
Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the GNP, who chairs the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, trade and inter-Korean unification, told Yonhap that the ratification motion will be put to vote if the rival parties fail to narrow their differences till the last minutes.
The parties are also at odds over the North Korea human rights bill and a government-proposed bill for giving tax aid to Islam bonds.
The GNP-proposed bill on improving human rights in the North has been stalling in the parliament since it passed a related legislative committee a year ago due to fierce resistance from liberal opposition parties.
The bill calls for an establishment of a government body dedicated to the issue of North Korean human rights and the provision of support for nongovernmental organizations working to improve the situation.
The government also seeks to grant holders of Islam bonds or "sukuk" the same tax exemptions on profits as other traditional forms of bonds in a bid to encourage local companies to issue such debts and lure Middle Eastern oil dollars.
Sukuk is similar to other bonds but different in that the debt provides dividend or lease profits to its holders, instead of interest, as Islamic law prohibits charging or paying of interest.
The bill already sparked controversy with Christians threatening to launch a no-vote campaign on lawmakers who approved the bill. Democrats as well as some ruling party lawmakers oppose the bill on grounds that it is unjust to give tax benefits to a certain religion.
Following Friday's main floor meeting, the Assembly is scheduled to hold addresses of floor leaders on Monday and Tuesday, as well as four workdays of interpellation session with Cabinet ministers from Thursday.
A confirmation hearing for Lee Sang-hoon designated as a justice of the Supreme Court will be held on Wednesday.
