People Power Party to Launch Filibuster on Constitutional Amendment Bill... "A Failed Vote Means Rejection"

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\r\n[Financial News] The People Power Party said on the 8th that it would launch a filibuster, or unlimited debate to legally obstruct proceedings, against the constitutional amendment bill set to return to the full Senate session of the National Assembly. It also argued that the bill's failure to meet the quorum the previous day amounted to a rejection, meaning it cannot be put to another vote.
The party said it would file for filibusters on both the constitutional amendment bill and non-contentious bills scheduled for the full Senate session that day. While leaving room for negotiations with the Democratic Party of Korea, it made clear that it strongly opposes the constitutional revision bill.
Choi Su-jin, the floor spokesperson, told reporters at the National Assembly, "We are planning to file for a filibuster because simply bringing up the constitutional amendment bill raises many constitutional issues," adding, "We are also reviewing filibusters on other bills, and since there is room to negotiate with the DPK, we are considering several scenarios."
Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, and the DPK were expected to push ahead with opening the full Senate session again that day, following the previous day, and to place more than 50 bills on the agenda along with the constitutional amendment bill. In response, the People Power Party reportedly prepared a list of lawmakers who would attend filibuster sessions from that day through June 4, assuming filibusters would be launched on all agenda items.
The constitutional argument cited by Choi stems from the claim that the previous day's failure to vote on the amendment bill was equivalent to its rejection. Under that view, a rejected bill cannot be voted on again, making the move unconstitutional. The party bases this on Constitutional Court of Korea precedents that treat a failure to meet the quorum as a rejection.
Song Eon-seok said at a floor strategy meeting that "the constitutional amendment bill requires the support of at least two-thirds of all sitting lawmakers, and since more than half of the total members were present yesterday (the 7th), the quorum was met, but it was rejected because it did not receive enough affirmative votes to pass." He added, "Reintroducing a bill that has already been rejected within the same session runs counter to the principle that the same matter cannot be decided twice."
\r\nThe previous day's vote on the constitutional amendment bill failed to reach quorum because the People Power Party did not participate, leaving the chamber short of the 191 lawmakers required. Woo then announced that he would reopen the full Senate session and resubmit the bill, while the DPK plans to keep the session going until the 10th, the last possible date for holding a referendum alongside the June local elections.
Meanwhile, the current amendment proposal was drafted by six floor parties, excluding Woo and the People Power Party. It contains no contentious provisions, including the inclusion of the spirit of the Gwangju Uprising and the Busan–Masan Uprising in the preamble to the Constitution and stronger National Assembly oversight of a president's declaration of emergency martial law. The People Power Party does not oppose the content of the proposal, but says a National Assembly Special Committee on Constitutional Revision should be formed after the local elections to produce a broader agreement that also includes reform of the power structure, the core issue of constitutional revision.
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uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho, Lee Hae-ram Reporter