Rival parties launched a four-day filibuster showdown on Thursday as the December extraordinary session opened, with the opposition People Power Party moving to block the Democratic Party’s push to pass a slate of judicial reform bills before year-end.

The PPP filibustered nearly all bills on the floor, beginning with a criminal procedure revision that would expand public access to lower court rulings.

The party argued that broader disclosure risks exposing sensitive personal data and corporate secrets while accusing President Lee Jae Myung’s administration of attempting to “seize judicial power” through its reform agenda.

A three-fifths majority vote can end a filibuster under National Assembly rules, effectively allowing the chamber to process one bill per day.

The Democratic Party plans to repeat the cycle of bill introduction and filibuster termination through December 14, aiming to pass revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act, the Banking Act and the Police Duties Execution Act.

A second round of confrontations is set for December 21 through 24, when the party intends to raise contentious measures, including the establishment of a tribunal to hear cases related to the December 3 martial law declaration.

Tensions flared early in the session as PPP lawmakers confronted National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik over what they called partisan handling of last week’s filibuster, prompting shouts across the chamber.