Parties Kick Off Talks for Committee Chair Posts in Second Half of 22nd Assembly

Negotiations for the composition of the second half of the 22nd National Assembly are set to begin this week, drawing attention to the anticipated tug-of-war between the ruling and opposition parties over key standing committee chair positions.

Choi Su-jin, the People Power Party's senior deputy floor leader, argued in a statement on the 14th that the opposition party's holding the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair is necessary to restore the National Assembly's oversight function. In response, Lee Ju-hee, the Democratic Party's deputy floor leader, stated in a written briefing that the committee chair cannot be handed over to the People Power Party, citing their record of legislative delays.

The Democratic Party maintains that the ruling party should hold the chair positions for key standing committees such as the Steering Committee, Industry and Commerce Committee, and Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee to advance the government's economic and broadcasting/telecommunications policies. The People Power Party is targeting the chair positions for the Finance and Economy Committee and the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee to pursue its agenda on tax-related issues.

During the committee composition negotiations, the Democratic Party is reportedly considering candidates for standing committee chairs primarily from its three-term lawmakers who have no prior experience as ministers or standing committee chairpersons. The People Power Party is said to be selecting its candidate pool from lawmakers who did not serve as chair in the first half of the session, or from three-term and four-term lawmakers.