SEOUL - In a significant parliamentary maneuver, opposition lawmakers in South Korea expedited the approval of two controversial bills, sending them directly to a plenary parliamentary session. This move occurred on Tuesday as members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the votes in protest.
According to Yonhap News Agency, one of the bills aims to grant franchisees collective bargaining rights against franchisors, a proposal the PPP opposes due to concerns about its impact on labor-management relations within the franchise sector. The second bill intends to broaden the definition of who is recognized as a meritorious democracy activist, which the PPP argues would unfairly extend benefits to already advantaged individuals. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP), along with other minor parties, voted unanimously to bypass the judiciary committee and take the bills straight to a plenary meeting, capitalizing on the PPP's absence. The DP plans to leverage its parliamentary majority to process these bills before the new parliament convenes in June.