Following the adoption of a North Korean human rights resolution by a United Nation committee, the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Monday started reviewing two bills on North Korea’s human rights issue. The bills were presented separately by the rival parties.

It is the first time in nine years that the South Korean parliamentary committee discussed a North Korean human rights bill under a bipartisan agreement.

A North Korean human rights bill was presented to the committee for the first time in 2005. But since then, such a bill had not been picked by the committee, let alone put to a vote at the National Assembly’s plenary session, because of resistance from the more progressive of the two rival parties.

The only exception was in 2010, when the foreign affairs and unification committee passed a bill on North Korea’s human rights through a vote cast only by the members of the then-ruling Grand National Party, the predecessor of the ruling Saenuri Party. However, the bill fizzled out at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, as the chairman of the committee was a lawmaker from the Democratic United Party, the major opposition party at the time.

The main progressive parties have often been more sympathetic about the North’s regime than conservative parties, leading them to be labeled by some as pro-North. The spirit of former progressive parties is now being succeeded by the current main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD).

As the NPAD’s attitude on the issue is showing a sign of change, the party agreed to discuss the new bill at the foreign affairs and unification committee.

The Saenuri bill, initiated by Rep. Kim Young-woo, will set up a North Korean human rights archive center under the Ministry of Justice and a North Korean human rights advisory committee under the Ministry of Unification. The bill will also put the unification minister in charge of drafting basic and implementation plans on the issue.

The NPAD bill, presented by Rep. Shim Jae-kwon, will have a humanitarian aid commission set under the unification ministry in order to coordinate aid projects for North Korean residents.

The rival parties differ on which ministry should be responsible for archiving human rights related materials and how to support civic groups committed to North Korean human rights issues.

Member lawmakers will discuss the bills at a general debate on Tuesday before referring them to the subcommittee on Thursday. The committee is aiming to handle the bills within the year through prompt deliberation efforts.