The ruling Democratic Party(DP) is pushing for the swift passage of major bills as the parliament kicked off another extra session on Monday.
Days after approving the largest-ever extra budget to deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority party said it will seek quick legislation to levy heavier taxes on people who own multiple homes as part of a state anti-speculation drive.
It also plans to speed up deliberations on a bill intended to shame the lawmakers who constantly miss parliamentary deliberations by revealing their names.
The main opposition United Future Party(UFP), which ended a boycott that was launched to protest the DP’s dominance in key parliamentary standing committees, is vowing to block the ruling bloc's attempts.
Pledging to continue protests over what they claim is the ruling party's attempt at dictatorship, the conservative party’s floor leader, Joo Ho-young, accused some of the DP-sponsored bills of seeking to incapacitate the parliament and the opposition party.
The UFP is also calling for an independent counsel to look into alleged collusion between prosecutors and a media outlet, over which Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor-General Youn Seok-youl are apparently engaged in a power struggle.