Key facts
- The National Assembly elected chairs for six standing committees designated for the People Power Party (PPP).
- This action resolves a weeks-long deadlock in forming parliamentary committees.
- The agreement to end the impasse included passing a special counsel bill concerning ballot shortages in the June 3 elections.
- The Gender Equality and Family Committee chair position remains vacant.
- The PPP had been boycotting parliamentary sessions for nearly two months.
SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Thursday elected the chairs of six standing committees allocated to the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), bringing an end to a weeks-long bipartisan deadlock over the formation of parliamentary committees.
All but one of the seven committee chairmanships set aside for the PPP were filled during a plenary session. The post for the Gender Equality and Family Committee remained vacant after Rep. Lim Lee-ja, the nominated candidate, stepped down.
The six committees whose chairs were elected include those overseeing foreign affairs and unification, education, and health and welfare.
The PPP's decision to end its boycott and accept the remaining chairmanships came after reaching an agreement with the ruling Democratic Party (DP) to pass a special counsel bill. This bill aims to investigate ballot shortages reported during the June 3 elections.
Three-term lawmaker Kim Jung-jae, who was not elected to chair the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, has been nominated for the gender committee post. The PPP plans to hold a general meeting of its lawmakers to approve Kim's nomination before a vote at the next plenary session.
The impasse had left the National Assembly largely idle for nearly two months, as the PPP boycotted sessions following the DP's unilateral selection of chiefs for a special budget committee and 10 standing committees.