Prime Minister Chung Hong-won called on the National Assembly on Tuesday to pass bills aimed at reviving the slumping economy, saying there is no time for delay.
  

The National Assembly launched a monthlong extraordinary parliamentary session Monday with the aim of handling bills that failed to pass through the regular session that ended last week.
   
Rival political parties, however, have wrangled over a growing scandal surrounding allegations that a former aide to President Park Geun-hye meddled in state affairs behind the scenes.
  

"In order for the government to push forward with its policies aimed at reviving the economy and stabilizing the public's livelihoods according to plan, I earnestly request that the National Assembly cooperate from a broad point of view," Chung said during a Cabinet meeting.
   
He especially cited bills designed to boost the real estate market and promote the service and tourism industries, saying only 29 out of 136 priority bills were passed through the previous session.
   
Chung also called for passage of a controversial government plan to reform the pensions of civil servants, saying the bill must be passed within the year in order to fundamentally resolve the "serious burden" they are causing to state finances. (Yonhap)