Legislation trapped in loop of unilateral approval, presidential veto

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sat, September 23, 2023 | 20:13

Politics

Legislation trapped in loop of unilateral approval, presidential veto

Posted : 2023-05-26 16:45

Updated : 2023-05-27 10:33

Ruling People Power Party Rep. Lim Lee-ja, left, criticizes the bill for the so-called Yellow Envelope Act to the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee Chairman Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, right, during a meeting at the Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Yoon set to veto 'Yellow Envelope Act'

By Nam Hyun-woo

The legislative process in Korea is trapped in a vicious loop of the majority-holding main opposition party unilaterally tabling controversial bills and President Yoon Suk Yeol countering with his veto right.

The presidential office has described the actions of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as "madness" with its unilateral tabling of a bill for the so-called Yellow Envelope Act, which limits companies from demanding compensation from labor unions that stage strikes.

The DPK refuted that Yoon "does not deserve to call for cooperation" after vetoing two important laws passed by the National Assembly in recent months, triggering concerns that this stalemate will jeopardize the country's legislative functions for a while.

According to the presidential office, Friday, it is now monitoring the legislative process of the controversial bill, which was presented to an Assembly plenary session Wednesday after bypassing the Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee controlled by the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

Though the bill is expected to be tabled at a plenary session next month, it is widely anticipated that Yoon will exercise his right to send the bill back to the National Assembly, citing the side impacts of the act and the DPK's unilateral attempt to pass it.

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, floor leader of the PPP, said Thursday that the party will ask the president to use his right to request the Assembly to reconsider it. When the president requests the Assembly to reconsider a bill, it requires the attendance of more than half of all registered lawmakers and approval by two-thirds of attending legislators for the bill to be passed again, thus becoming more difficult to get the green light. Due to this, demanding a reconsideration is widely considered as a de facto veto by the president.

"When due processes end at the National Assembly, we will make a decision after listening to related ministries, the ruling party and other organizations," an official at the presidential office said Thursday.

"Some media outlets focus on whether the president will use this right to have the Assembly reconsider the bill. However, this issue is described as legislative madness. I believe (the DPK's) unilateral legislation is the root cause of this problem."

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik also said, "The act will turn all the efforts towards labor reform and proposed resolutions to the dual structure of the labor market into mere illusions."

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik, right, leaves a briefing room at the Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Thursday, after speaking about a bill for the so-called Yellow Envelope Act, which limits companies from demanding compensation from labor unions that stage strikes. Yonhap

If Yoon requests the Assembly to reconsider the Yellow Envelope Act, it will be the third case of Yoon vetoing a bill that passed the Assembly. In April, he vetoed a revision of the Grain Management Act and then rejected the Assembly's approval of the Nursing Act earlier this month.

While the ruling bloc is building up reasons for Yoon to veto the bill, the DPK is escalating its stance that Yoon is jeopardizing national cohesion and bipartisan cooperation with his vetoes.

"It is President Yoon himself who vetoed the Grain Management Act revision and the Nursing Act, which were passed in the National Assembly," DPK spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-joon said in a statement.

"The Yoon government consistently nixed dialogue and consultation requests from the opposition party, raising doubts about their sincerity, and now they are requesting cooperation. With the presidential office preparing another veto on the bill, which guarantees legal strikes to protect the legitimate rights of workers, what kind of cooperation are they expecting?"

namhw@koreatimes.co.kr