2 minor liberal parties may form negotiation body

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sat, December 9, 2023 | 08:09

Politics

2 minor liberal parties may form negotiation body

Posted : 2018-03-04 15:47

Updated : 2018-03-04 20:29

Party for Democracy and Peace Chairwoman Cho Bae-sook, left, and Justice Party Chairwoman Lee Jeong-mi shake hands during Cho's visit to Lee's office at the National Assembly on Feb. 7. / Yonhap

By Choi Ha-young

Two minor liberal parties — the 14-seat Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) and the six-seat Justice Party — are in talks to form a negotiation body in the National Assembly, which could enhance their position in the National Assembly.

The PDP is likely to make its offer public Monday.

"Once we decide the party's stance, we will suggest it to the Justice Party right away," PDP spokesman Rep. Lee Yong-ju said Friday. "Otherwise, we will stop talking about it."

Parties with fewer than 20 parliamentary seats, or independent lawmakers, can team up to form a negotiation body, which requires at least 20 lawmakers. Negotiation bodies can take the chair posts on parliamentary committees, discuss schedules in the Assembly and decide the number of members of each committee, through which they can have leverage in disputes between or among parties.

Whether to form a negotiation body was up to the Justice Party, multiple sources said. The PDP, a splinter group from the People's Party, is desperate to regain its previous privileges.

Earlier, the Justice Party was skeptical about the idea, citing ideological differences. PDP lawmakers are liberals primarily based in Gwangju and Jeolla provinces — the liberals' traditional home turf — while the Justice Party is backed by young progressives and unions. But Justice Party lawmakers have recently been moving in favor of it.

"It's too early to say yes or no," party chairwoman Lee Jeong-mi said in a radio interview last week. "As I reiterated, we need to form an alliance to push ahead with reform bills, and parties willing to do so can be our partners."

The party, positioned as the most progressive here, is required to increase its bargaining power to persuade larger parties, especially for talks on constitutional revision. The party also aims to revise the constituency system before local elections in June.

The Justice Party wants to field four candidates in one electoral district to increase its chances of victory, while the two largest parties — the Democratic Party of Korea and the Liberty Korea Party — back the idea to elect two candidates in one district.

If a Justice Party lawmaker could chair the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee, the most important committee for the labor-friendly party, it could accelerate its reform drive and raise its presence.

"Justice Party lawmakers feel the necessity of leverage in parliamentary negotiations," a party official said. "They want more media coverage and tangible achievements." To form the negotiation body with the PDP, Justice Party lawmakers must persuade other party members.

"Young party members are generally against it because they believe it's hard to narrow the ideological gap with the PDP," the official said.

For example, the Justice Party advocates rights for sexual minorities, while some PDP lawmakers do not. In April, PDP Chairwoman Cho Bae-sook, then a People's Party lawmaker, said: "I will do my best to relieve the concern of Christians (who are against homosexuality)." In August, Cho organized an anti-homosexuality move in the Assembly.

Sources said it would be essential for the Justice Party leadership to stipulate conditions and its vision of the strategic alliance with the PDP.

"The possible negotiation body's task will be limited to constituency system reform, not a merger of the two," said Rep. Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party.

If the parties form the negotiation body, it will have 21 lawmakers, because independent Rep. Lee Yong-ho said he hoped to join it.

hayoung.choi@ktimes.com