South Korea's National Assembly clashes over committee chair appointments

National Assembly committee chair appointments People Power Party protest Democratic Party unilateral legislative dispute

The ruling Democratic Party (더불어민주당) moved to unilaterally appoint chairs for 11 standing committees of the 22nd National Assembly’s second half, including the Law Committee chairmanship for Seo Young‑gyo. The party also announced a draft amendment to the National Assembly law aimed at preventing opposition‑induced delays in committee proceedings.

Opposition People Power Party (국민의힘) denounced the moves as a one‑way composition, staged sit‑ins in the plenary chamber, refused to vote on the appointments and submitted resignations of its members from the forced chair assignments. Party leaders warned of a possible full parliamentary boycott and criticised the ruling party’s “legislative dictatorship.”

The dispute unfolded alongside broader inter‑party tensions, illustrated by independent lawmaker Han Dong‑hoon’s invitation to the bipartisan Global Foreign‑Security Forum, after which People Power leader Jang Dong‑hyuk abruptly left the forum’s Telegram chat, underscoring the heightened political frictions within the Assembly.