DP’s solo dominance redefines National Assembly politics
The liberal Democratic Party (DP) on Aug. 5 railroaded through an amendment to the Broadcasting Act in a plenary session, marking the first law passed under the leadership of party chairman Chung Cheong-rae.
The amendment expands the KBS board from 11 to 15 members and diversifies the recommendation sources: six from the National Assembly, two from the viewers’ committee, two from academia and two from bar associations. The DP claims the law will ensure the political independence of public broadcasting, but the conservative People Power Party (PPP) argues that it will allow left-leaning groups to seize control.
Despite its significance for the country’s public broadcasting system, the bill was introduced on July 1 and passed just over a month later without serious deliberation. The PPP attempted a filibuster but only delayed the vote by one day.
The DP now plans to pass other contentious bills this month, including the so-called Yellow Envelope Act and amendments to the Commercial Act, both strongly opposed by business groups. During the last presidential election, political observers predicted that if the Lee Jae Myung administration took office with an overwhelming legislative majority, it would become the most dominant government since the 1987 constitutional reform. That forecast is proving accurate. The opposition is effectively sidelined, and dissenting voices against government policies are largely ignored.
Democracy relies on checks and balances. If the DP continues its single-party control of the legislature, parliamentary democracy will inevitably weaken.
Meanwhile, party chairman Chung began his courtesy visits by meeting National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and leaders of minor progressive parties, including the Rebuilding Korea Party, Progressive Party, Social Democratic Party and Basic Income Party. He conspicuously skipped the PPP and the Reform Party, both in the conservative bloc.
Traditionally, the ruling party leader’s first courtesy visit is to the main opposition party, a practice Chung broke. He previously declared he would “not shake hands with forces of insurrection,” effectively dismissing the PPP. Yet his exclusion of the Reform Party, which has no link to the insurrection issue, suggests a broader rejection of conservative parties.
Chung also instructed his party to scrap the bipartisan six-and-six structure of the parliamentary Ethics Committee, an arrangement the DP’s floor leader Kim Byung-kee had agreed to with the PPP. The tradition of an equal composition exists to prevent political abuse of disciplinary actions.
If the DP gains control of the committee, it could unilaterally process disciplinary measures against conservative lawmakers. Expulsion, which requires a two-thirds majority, would remain difficult, but suspensions such as a 30-day attendance ban could be imposed at the party’s discretion.
A DP rule that echoes its methods when Yoon Suk Yeol was president risks undermining national governance. Majority control does not justify constant force. A measured approach with strategic restraint is needed. The DP should reflect on the consequences of its current path.
(END)
Read more on Yonhap News Agency
