National Assembly begins new 4-year term

The National Assembly kicked off a new four-year term Thursday as the rival parties are tasked with addressing thorny issues unresolved during the previous parliament, including a bill on a Marine's death last year. The opposition bloc, led by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), dominates the 300-member parliament with 192 seats, while the ruling People Power Party (PPP) holds 108 seats. The National Assembly will hold its first plenary session next Wednesday to elect a new speaker. A plenary session of the National Assembly is held in Seoul on May 28, 2024. (Yonhap) Concerns have grown over whether the rival parties will successfully cooperate in dealing with pending issues, including a bill mandating a special counsel investigation into the military's response to a Marine's death last year that failed to pass the previous National Assembly. The DP has vowed to reintroduce the bill, which calls for the appointment of a special counsel to look into allegations President Yoon Suk Yeol's office and the defense ministry inappropriately interfered in the military's probe into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was killed during a search mission for victims of heavy downpours in July 2023. The ruling bloc has opposed the bill, citing the need to first see the results of an ongoing investigation by the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials. The rival parties are also expected to clash over the chairmanship of the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee, a key Assembly panel that has the power to approve bills before they are put to a plenary vote. The DP took the legislative committee chair in the first half of the 21st National Assembly term, followed by the PPP in the second half. Source: Yonhap News Agency