The ruling National Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party are engaged in a dispute over convening the legislative committee to process the Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration law.
On March 27, a political tussle occurred between the ruling National Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party regarding the scheduling of a legislative committee meeting for the processing of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration law. The National Power Party, which had agreed to push forward the integration law the day before, accused the Democratic Party of sowing discord and demanded the immediate passage of the integration law. In response, the Democratic Party insisted that the filibuster must be canceled before the legislative committee could convene, stressing the importance of addressing procedural matters before proceeding with the law.
The National Power Party's floor leader, Song Eon-seok, held a press briefing at the National Assembly, where he emphasized the urgency of convening a 'one-point legislative committee meeting' before the end of the February extraordinary session on March 3. He indicated that it was feasible to schedule the meeting within the week and urged the Democratic Party to cooperate in facilitating the legislative process. The National Power Party leadership, after conducting a secret ballot among the 25 representatives from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk area, reached a consensus to demand that the Democratic Party expedite the legislative process for the integration law.
Previously, the legislative committee had convened on March 24 and approved the integration law for Jeonnam and Gwangju. However, deliberations concerning the Daegu-Gyeongbuk and Daejeon-Chungnam integration laws were postponed due to opposition from the National Power Party. With the passage of the Jeonnam-Gwangju integration law approaching, it is necessary for the legislative committee to meet and approve the Daegu-Gyeongbuk law for it to proceed. Song called on the Democratic Party to halt any attempts at division and to process the integration law immediately for the sake of regional balanced development. In contrast, Democratic Party's legislative committee chair, Choo Mi-ae, responded critically, highlighting the inconsistencies in the National Power Party's approach amidst their ongoing filibuster efforts.
