Rep. Kim Sang-hoon (left) of the People Power Party, chair of the National Assembly’s special committee on the US investment cooperation bill, speaks during the panel’s first plenary meeting, in Seoul, Thursday. (Yonhap)


The inaugural meeting of a special parliamentary committee dedicated to Korea’s propose 바다이야기부활 d US investment cooperation bill was derailed by partisan clashes over an unrelated legislative dispute Thursday.
Launched Monday, the committee was created to speed deliberations on the rul 릴게임무료 ing Democratic Party-backed measure, formally titled the Special Act on Strategic Investment Cooperation with the United States and widely known as the US investment special bill.
But the fi 릴게임야마토 rst plenary session at the National Assembly was suspended for 46 minutes after opening, as the main opposition People Power Party protested what it called the ruling bloc’s legislative strong-arming. 릴게임황금성
“While we had agreed to process this bill through bipartisan consultation, we are witnessing the Democratic Party push through contentious legislation at the Legislation and Judiciary Commi 릴게임갓 ttee,” said Rep. Park Soo-young of the People Power Party, the committee’s opposition floor coordinator.
He was referring to the Democratic Party’s move a day earlier to pass revisions to the Constitutional Court Act at the Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, including provisions to allow individuals to file constitutional petitions against final court rulings. The opposition says the changes could create a “quasi-fourth-trial system” by enabling constitutional review of Supreme Court decisions.
People Power Party lawmakers argue the revision could undermine the finality of Supreme Court verdicts and be used in politically sensitive cases, claiming it could ultimately benefit President Lee Jae Myung, who faces ongoing legal proceedings.
Park warned that without safeguards, the ruling party could similarly fast-track the US investment bill.
“We call for suspending today’s meeting and resuming discussions only after reaching agreement on measures to prevent legislative unilateralism,” he said.
Rep. Jung Tae-ho of the Democratic Party, the committee’s floor coordinator, rejected the linkage.
“It is inappropriate for external political factors to affect the operation of this committee, given the urgency of the task before the Assembly,” Jung said.
The session, convened to appoint the chair and floor coordinators, moved behind closed doors about 20 minutes after opening before being adjourned.
Rep. Kim Sang-hoon of the People Power Party was named chair, while Jung and Park were appointed as bipartisan coordinators.
With the meeting ending before substantive discussions, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, who attended to deliver a policy briefing, were unable to present.
The bill was introduced in November as a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding on strategic investment cooperation signed during a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, last year.
The agreement envisioned closer coordination on large-scale Korean corporate investments in the United States, particularly in strategic sectors tied to supply chains and advanced manufacturing.
Despite rare bipartisan recognition of the bill’s importance, progress has been slow amid opposition concerns over fiscal burdens, risk-sharing and the potential acceleration of industrial outflows.
The delay has also drawn attention from Washington, with Trump publicly singling out South Korea's National Assembly in January over the pace of legislative action.