The regular session of the second half of the 22nd National Assembly is heating up from the beginning.
This is as questions to the government begin to be asked this week amid heightened political enthusiasm for the personnel hearing following the August 30 cabinet reshuffle.
Following the speech by the representative of the negotiating group on the 7th and 8th, the ruling and opposition parties are expected to clash on all fronts over political issues, economy, diplomacy, and security issues in the four-day questioning of the government starting on the 9th.
Then, starting on the 14th, Super Week of personnel hearings will be held ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
◇ Anticipation of a clash over questioning of the government…野's 'real estate and security' policy, 與 'does not hinder national administration' as a shield
In the question to the government, the Democratic Party of Korea is expected to focus on reviewing the performance of the Lee Jae-myung administration, which is in its second year in office, while supporting its leap forward into an 'irreplaceable Republic of Korea.'
First of all, the Democratic Party is expected to argue that the People Power Party is hindering the supply of housing by delaying the government's follow-up legislation on real estate measures in relation to the real estate issue.
Regarding judicial reform, the Democratic Party's perception is that the People Power Party is hindering the transition to a criminal justice system that effectively separates investigation and prosecution by giving up on follow-up legislation for the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office, which will be launched on the 2nd of next month.
In addition, some may view Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's nomination as a Supreme Court Justice candidate, which was made without consultation with the Blue House, as an abuse of the right to recommend, and there may be voices calling for a revision of the law to control the right to recommend.
To this end, the Democratic Party also put effort into forming a team to question the government.
Experienced senior figures, such as Rep. Park Jie-won, will be deployed to block the opposition party's offensive when answering questions to the government targeting the Ministry of Justice, and lawmakers from relevant standing committees are expected to use their expertise to protect the government's position when answering questions to the government on the economy.
On the other hand, the People Power Party is poised to launch a wave of attacks across the Lee Jae-myung administration's overall state administration, including the economy, diplomacy, and security.
The People Power Party is preparing to carefully examine the issue of introducing a single-stock leveraged exchange-traded fund (ETF), which has been identified as the cause of the so-called 'roller KOSPI' (KOSPI's short-term sharp rise and fall market), and the surge in real estate prices in the metropolitan area.
In the case of real estate, the government plans to highlight policy confusion by digging into the government's attempt to reduce the basic comprehensive real estate tax deduction for non-resident households with one home from KRW 1.2 billion to KRW 900 million, but overturned it after 29 days.
In particular, since Representatives Song Eon-seok and Park Soo-min from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance were assigned to question the government in the economic field, there is a possibility that they will focus on the 2027 budget. Their argument is that the future response fund, which will be created based on excess tax revenue from semiconductors, will be degraded to the government's 'fight money'.
In addition, it is expected that the Jeju disappearance incident and the Jang Yoon-ki murder case will be used as a link to question the appropriateness of the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigative authority.
Another point to watch is that this round of questions to the government is being held amidst the possibility that the government will dispatch military forces to the Strait of Hormuz.
Given that opposing voices are already emerging from the Democratic Party and the ruling party, there is a possibility that an unusual scene will be created in which the ruling party launches an offensive against the government.
In relation to this, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Ki-heon, who has publicly expressed his opposition to sending troops, will appear as a questioner to the government in the field of diplomacy, unification and security.
◇ Hearing Super Week is imminent… National Power ‘Kim Seung-won, Yong Hye-in + α’ fall horse offensive, “People’s trial is not possible”
Following the questions to the government, personnel hearings will be held for each candidate, including ▲ Supreme Court Justice Kim Seong-soo on the 14th, ▲ Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hyeong-il, Justice Kim Seung-won, and Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee So-young on the 15th, ▲ Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Hong Ji-sun on the 16th, and ▲ Special Inspector General Choi Gil-soo on the 17th.
Among the cabinet reshuffles on August 30, the schedule for the confirmation hearing for Minister of Gender Equality and Family Yong Hye-in has not yet been scheduled.
It is known that the Democratic Party will hold a hearing for Candidate Yong early, but the People Power Party hopes to hold a schedule right before Chuseok and hope that the enthusiasm for verification that took place at the hearing will be reflected in public opinion during the holiday.
Among these candidates, the initial front is centered around candidates Yong Hye-in and Kim Seung-won.
The People Power Party is gradually shifting the focus of its offensive from Candidate Yong, who is criticized for the so-called double and triple preferential treatment theory and controversy over party privatization, to Candidate Kim.
As the possibility of Candidate Yong failing to run increases, they appear to be focusing their attacks on Candidate Kim, the co-chair of the Democratic Party's 'Members' Group to Cancel the Indictment of President Lee Jae-myung Case', using the suspicion of requesting approval for clinical trials of new drugs as a link.
In this process, Han Dong-hoon, an independent lawmaker and former Minister of Justice, has released transcripts one after another, effectively collaborating with the People Power Party.
The People Power Party is further expanding the scope of its offensive against candidate Kim to the Blue House of the Lee Jae-myung administration.
At the same time, they are tightening their grip on other candidates, including candidate Hong Ji-seon.
Choi Soo-jin, senior floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a phone call, "President Lee's second cabinet reshuffle, which appoints people ineligible for public office, will trigger a lame duck," and added, "We will definitely filter them out through hearings."
In response to this, the Democratic Party plans to conclude the hearing process for six ministerial candidates before the Chuseok holiday.
To this end, we are doing our best to defend Justice Minister candidate Kim, on whom the conservative opposition is focusing its firepower.
First of all, regarding the suspicion of requesting approval for a clinical trial for a COVID-19 treatment, the prosecutors of the Yoon Seok-yeol government are counterattacking by claiming that this is a case that has deferred prosecution and that there was no transaction of money or valuables. Regarding the so-called indictment cancellation meeting, they are arguing that a distinction should be made between legislative activities and ministerial duties.
On the 4th, floor leader Han Byeong-do criticized the People Power Party, saying, “Setting up the answer and labeling the candidate as a criminal is not a personnel verification, but a people’s trial.”
The Democratic Party appears to be watching public opinion regarding Candidate Yong and observing the candidate's own judgment.
In a phone call, an official in the National Assembly said, “The government audit and budget policy are starting, but the ministerial position cannot be left empty. If the People Power Party does not aim to hinder state affairs, it will have to actively cooperate with the National Assembly hearing process.”
