DP Leaders Chung Cheong-rae, Han Byung-do: 'Considering Securing All 18 Standing Committee Chairmanships'... Lee Jae-myung: 'Legitimate Opposition Right'

The Democratic Party leadership is considering reclaiming all standing committee chairmanships currently held by the People Power Party as it prepares for the composition of the latter half of the 22nd National Assembly, suggesting the possibility of the ruling party unilaterally monopolizing these positions. Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party's floor leader, stated during a policy coordination meeting on the 20th that if the distribution of standing committee chairmanships devolves into obstructing state affairs rather than adhering to democratic principles, the party will comprehensively re-examine the matter of committee chairmanship allocation from scratch. This is interpreted as a strong warning, based on the judgment that the processing of major livelihood bills is being delayed in the standing committees currently chaired by the People Power Party.

Chung Cheong-rae, the Democratic Party leader, also pointed out in a broadcast interview on the 19th that the government's state administration is facing setbacks because legislation is not progressing in the standing committees assigned to the opposition party. Chung mentioned that if this situation continues, the party might consider taking all the standing committee chairmanships, leaving open the possibility of exercising its power. This move by the party leadership aligns with President Lee Jae-myung's criticism during a State Council meeting on the 17th that amendments to the Inheritance Tax Act and Capital Markets Act are being blocked by opposition party objections.

The Democratic Party specifically argues that legislation crucial for economic vitalization, such as the Capital Markets Act and Commercial Act, has stalled in committees chaired by the People Power Party, including the Political Affairs Committee and the Strategy and Finance Committee. Floor Leader Han cited the specific example of legislation for corporate governance reform and minority shareholder protection, a long-held aspiration of 14 million individual investors, failing to pass the Political Affairs Committee. The Democratic Party also claims that housing policy-related bills are encountering difficulties in processing because the subcommittee chair in the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee is held by the People Power Party.

Political circles anticipate a strong possibility of the ruling party monopolizing all 18 standing committee chairmanships, similar to the precedent in the early days of the 21st National Assembly. Shin Yul, a professor of Political Science and International Relations at Myongji University, analyzed that the scenario of monopolizing standing committees could be more than just a pressure tactic and might be actually implemented, given the ruling party's history of unilaterally processing major issues. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon further assessed that in a situation where the People Power Party consistently opposes without offering alternatives, the Democratic Party could take a drastic measure to accelerate state administration, and the potential for public backlash against such a move is low.