The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy attacked President Park Geun-hye’s top aide during a parliamentary meeting Friday, accusing Cheong Wa Dae of invading the legislative authority by vetoing the controversial National Assembly Act revision.
The party also lashed out at Park’s chief of staff Lee Byung-kee that the president was trampling on the ruling party’s leadership, which they called a “return of dictatorship,” during the parliamentary meeting of the house steering committee. The committee is in charge of parliamentary operations and the presidential secretariat.
The Saenuri Party members, meanwhile, remained mostly silent about the vetoed National Assembly Act revision, which would have given the legislature the right to request changes to government ordinances.
No particular interaction took place between Cheong Wa Dae’s Lee and ruling Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Yoo Seong-min, who presided over the committee meeting. President Park had blasted Yoo for being uncooperative last week. Yoo has since refused to step down despite vehement calls from pro-Park members to resign.
“It is absurd and dumbfounded for (the president) to have shifted the responsibility to the National Assembly,” the NPAD members said, citing similar revisions that were supported by Park during her lawmaker days.
“While in formality, (Park) turned down the Assembly Act revision, in reality, it was a resurrection of Yushin that denies the legislature,” said NPAD Rep. Kang Dong-won. He was referring to the Yushin Constitution that gave Park’s late father and former President Park Chung-hee dictatorial power by enabling extension of his presidency in the 1970s.
Chief of staff Lee rebuked comments likening Park to an autocrat, saying, “I do not agree with such a description. … (Cheong Wa Dae) is not as enclosed or unilaterally operated as it is viewed from the outside.”
He also said he believed the president would address the public on the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak once the infection subsides for certain.
The Assembly is set to revote on the vetoed bill on Monday‘s plenary session and resume the extraordinary session for this month from Wednesday, when the supplementary budget bill will also be discussed.
From news reports
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
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