Rival Parties Remain at Odds Over Parliamentary Committee Formation; National Assembly Approves Probe Into Election Ballot Shortage

[Anchor]

Negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the formation of the standing committees for the second half of the 22nd National Assembly remain at a standstill over the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, the National Assembly approved a plan for a parliamentary investigation into the ballot shortage incident that occurred during the June 3 local elections during a plenary session held this afternoon (June 18).

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin has the story.

[Reporter]

The Democratic Party of Korea pressured the People Power Party, stating that the formation of the committees for the second half of the 22nd National Assembly can no longer be delayed.

During a policy coordination meeting today, Floor Leader Han Byung-do stated that there is neither justification nor time left to delay negotiations if they are to create a National Assembly that works.

[Han Byung-do/Floor Leader, Democratic Party of Korea: The National Assembly must be normalized as soon as possible. We must immediately complete the committee formation and dive straight into resolving pending issues regarding the people's livelihood and the economy.]

The ruling and opposition parties have failed to narrow their differences over who should chair the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, with the People Power Party insisting that the chairmanship should be held by the second-largest party in the National Assembly.

Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik argued that the Democratic Party's refusal to give up the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship is a sign that they will not abandon the "Special Counsel Act on Case Dismissal."

[Jeong Jeom-sik/Floor Leader, People Power Party: By holding onto the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship, they intend to achieve the dismissal of the indictment by intimidating the prosecution within the committee.]

Meanwhile, the National Assembly held a plenary session this afternoon and processed the plan for a parliamentary investigation to uncover the truth behind the ballot shortage incident.

The investigation period is set for 45 days, from today until August 1, and can be extended following a resolution by the plenary session.

The special committee for the parliamentary investigation consists of 18 members, and Representative Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party has been appointed as its chair.

The rival parties also processed 30 non-controversial bills during today's plenary session.

(Video Editing: Wi Won-yang)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.