S. Korea's National Assembly to convene March session
South Korea's National Assembly will convene its first parliamentary session of the year in the coming hours.
The 30-day session comes after a two month-long standstill at the Assembly,... and rival parties have a LOT to work on.
For more, we connect on the phone to our political correspondent Kim Min-ji.
Min-ji, so lawmakers will finally get back to work?
That's right.
plenary session will be held this afternoon to mark the start of the March session.
And from next Monday,... the chairs of the three negotiating parties will give speeches on their respective agendas and viewpoints.
The following week, the rival parties will hold a four-day Q&A session with government ministers... on a range of topics, including foreign affairs and economic issues.
The National Assembly has been stuck in limbo since January due to partisan wrangling over a number of issues,... such as allegations of government surveillance of civilians, a controversial appointment of a senior election watchdog official without a confirmation hearing by the president,... as well as alleged real estate speculation by a former ruling party lawmaker.
Parties have yet to find common ground on those issues,... but they decided to normalize the assembly amid mounting public criticism that they are constantly bickering and generally being unproductive.
There's a long to-do list having been in deadlock for so long. What are some of the issues the parties will be tasked with in March?
Yes,... rival parties have their plates full so cooperation and flexibility will be key for the session to bear fruit.
For starters, the parties have agreed to work on non-contested bills related to the fine-dust crisis in South Korea,... and have them ready for a full floor vote next Wednesday.
They include bills to designate severe fine dust air pollution as a national disaster -- which would allow the government to inject state money when an urgent expenditure arises.
The parties have also agreed to consider using reserve funds to provide supplies,... such as anti-dust masks,... or air purifiers to the underprivileged,... and if necessary,... draw up a supplementary budget.
The policy chiefs of each party will be meeting this afternoon to agree on the most urgent bills that need to be passed.
Another pending issue is the reform of the electoral system,... as well as the approval of economy-related bills.
That's all from me for now, back to you Ji-yoon.
The 30-day session comes after a two month-long standstill at the Assembly,... and rival parties have a LOT to work on.
For more, we connect on the phone to our political correspondent Kim Min-ji.
Min-ji, so lawmakers will finally get back to work?
That's right.
plenary session will be held this afternoon to mark the start of the March session.
And from next Monday,... the chairs of the three negotiating parties will give speeches on their respective agendas and viewpoints.
The following week, the rival parties will hold a four-day Q&A session with government ministers... on a range of topics, including foreign affairs and economic issues.
The National Assembly has been stuck in limbo since January due to partisan wrangling over a number of issues,... such as allegations of government surveillance of civilians, a controversial appointment of a senior election watchdog official without a confirmation hearing by the president,... as well as alleged real estate speculation by a former ruling party lawmaker.
Parties have yet to find common ground on those issues,... but they decided to normalize the assembly amid mounting public criticism that they are constantly bickering and generally being unproductive.
There's a long to-do list having been in deadlock for so long. What are some of the issues the parties will be tasked with in March?
Yes,... rival parties have their plates full so cooperation and flexibility will be key for the session to bear fruit.
For starters, the parties have agreed to work on non-contested bills related to the fine-dust crisis in South Korea,... and have them ready for a full floor vote next Wednesday.
They include bills to designate severe fine dust air pollution as a national disaster -- which would allow the government to inject state money when an urgent expenditure arises.
The parties have also agreed to consider using reserve funds to provide supplies,... such as anti-dust masks,... or air purifiers to the underprivileged,... and if necessary,... draw up a supplementary budget.
The policy chiefs of each party will be meeting this afternoon to agree on the most urgent bills that need to be passed.
Another pending issue is the reform of the electoral system,... as well as the approval of economy-related bills.
That's all from me for now, back to you Ji-yoon.