The National Assembly on Thursday continued to grill government agencies on the issue of conferring honors on alleged 'leftist' figures who fought for the nation's independence, a proposal suggested by the President.

On its fourth day of government interpellation, with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in the spotlight, ruling Uri party lawmakers called for a proactive approach on granting the honor, while main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) members continued to balk at the plan.

GNP legislators claimed that recognizing leftist independent fighters would run counter to the nation's identity and the values upheld in the Constitution.

In contrast, Uri Party legislator Jeon Byeong-heon argued that socialism had been widely accepted at the time when Korean patriots had fought to achieve the nation's independence from Japan, adding that at the time, it was little more than an ideology that was employed to attain that goal.