The ruling and opposition parties agreed Monday to normalize a key parliamentary committee paralyzed by partisan bickering for two weeks, paving the way for the National Assembly to handle a series of pending bills.

The judiciary committee, through which legislative measures must pass before reaching the plenary session, was suspended on Feb. 6 after members of the ruling Democratic Party boycotted it, demanding that the committee's chairman step down over allegations of irregularities.

The DP members claimed that Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party is unqualified to chair the committee, after an incumbent prosecutor alleged days earlier that Kweon influenced a prosecution investigation into allegations of unfair hiring at Kangwon Land Corp., a state-run casino operator.

On Monday, the DP's floor leader, Rep. Woo Won-shik, offered an apology over the boycott, and the ruling party, the main opposition LKP and the minor opposition Bareun Future Party agreed to put the committee back into operation.

"Our party's members of the judiciary committee walked out over the issue of whether the chairman should leave, and the committee was crippled and deliberation of law bills was suspended," Woo said during a meeting with his opposition counterparts.

"As floor leader of the ruling party, I offer words of apology to the people that deliberation of reform bills related to people's livelihoods has not taken place," he said during the meeting brokered by National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun.

Woo's main opposition counterpart, Rep. Kim Sung-tae, said he will no longer take issue with the boycott and that the party will cooperate to bring the committee back into operation.

Chung applauded the agreement.

The rival parties are expected to convene the first meeting of the judiciary committee on Tuesday. Plenary sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Feb. 28 are also expected to take place as scheduled.(Yonhap)