April 26, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] The National Assembly’s plenary session on Dec.29 officially endorsed a change in floor dynamics following the breakup of the ruling Saenuri Party.

The country’s 300-seat unicameral parliament now has four negotiating groups, from the previous three, with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea being the largest.

Reflective of their elevated status on the floor, the Democratic Party’s 121 lawmakers moved to the center of the plenary hall, an area previously held by Saenuri members. Saenuri has been moved to the right of the hall. The remaining seats on the left side of the hall are distributed to the People’s Party, the New Conservative Party for Reform, and lawmakers who do not belong to any of the four floor-negotiating groups. 

The country's 300-seat unicameral parliament now has four negotiating groups, from the previous three.

The floor seats have been rearranged in order of their size. 
Saenuri, after the breakup, now has 99 seats from its previous 128. The runner-up People’s Party has 38 seats and the splinter group from Saenuri, tentatively named the New Conservative Party for Reform, has 30.

The 30 lawmakers of the New Conservative Party left Saenuri and formed their own negotiating group on Dec.27 resulting in four major political parties for the first time in Korea since 1990.

During the session on Dec.29, lawmakers were to decide on the formation of a special committee for the Constitutional revision. The committee will consist of some 35 lawmakers from the four major parties and one from a minor party. When the motion passes, the new committee will be initiated on Jan.1, 2017. 

The approval rate of parties have witnessed some turns. According to pollster Realmeter on Dec.29, the Saenuri defectors group placed second in the approval rate poll with 17.4 percent, surpassing that of Saenuri Party which posted at 15.8 percent.

The Democratic Party was chosen as the most favored party with 33.7 percent.

With the opposition holding the majority in the parliament, liberal parties seek for a swift passage of bills. The National Assembly Advancement Act requires the approval of more than three-fifths of lawmakers to put contentious draft bills to a final vote on the floor.

While it intended to prevent the majority party -- previously the ruling Saenuri -- to unilaterally pass the controversial legislation using its majority, it was thought to have slowed the progress of the National Assembly.

Saenuri’s split came after President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment by the parliament on Dec. 3 amid a sweeping political scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil.

By Jo He-rim/The Korea Herald (herim@heraldcorp.com)