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Korea Communications Commission Chairperson Lee Dong-kwan shakes hands with Democratic Party lawmaker Sul Hoon at the National Assembly plenary session on Nov. 9. (Yonhap)

The so-called “yellow envelope bill” — or the bill to revise Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act — that starkly divided Korea’s ruling and opposition camps was passed by the latter during a regular session at the National Assembly on Thursday. The bill’s passage came in addition to three broadcasting bills to amend the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act, and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act.

After threatening to filibuster these pieces of legislation, the People Power Party (PPP) backed off in order to prevent a motion to impeach Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairperson Lee Dong-kwan from being put to a vote. The ruling party plans to request President Yoon Suk-yeol to veto these bills.

During a regular session at the National Assembly, the effort to pass the labor reform bill and three broadcasting bills led by the opposition including the Democratic Party and the Justice Party succeeded.

Lawmakers with the PPP walked out of the session without casting their votes.

The “yellow envelope bill” — nicknamed so after the envelopes once used for workers’ wages — passed with 173 votes in favor and one abstention. Amendments to the Broadcasting Act and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act passed unanimously with 176 votes, while the amendment to the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act was also passed unanimously with 175 votes.

The labor legislation expands the definition of employers, increasing their legal responsibility, while limiting corporations’ ability to indiscriminately make damage claims against striking laborers.

The key aims of the three broadcasting bills are to increase the number of board directors of the Korea Broadcasting System, the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, and the Educational Broadcasting System from 20 to 21 as well as extend the authority to recommend board members to outsiders like academics and viewers to reduce political sway over broadcasting.

Originally, the PPP planned to organize a 180-hour filibuster in order to prevent the passing of these bills by the opposition by mobilizing 60 of its lawmakers. However, when motions to impeach Lee as well as two high-ranking prosecutors — Son Jun-seong in Daegu and Lee Jeong-seop in Suwon — were filed during the National Assembly regular session in addition to these bills, PPP lawmakers left the plenary chamber and held a closed-door general meeting, ultimately deciding to withdraw their filibuster plan.

Afterward, PPP floor leader Yun Jae-ok didn’t hesitate to show that this decision was made to aid Lee, as he told reporters that giving up the filibuster was “inevitable” in order to “block [the Democratic Party’s] scheme to incapacitate the functioning of the state institution KCC long-term by impeaching the KCC chairperson.”

The results of voting on the “yellow envelope” bill is displayed in the National Assembly’s plenary session on Nov. 9. (Yonhap)

Under the National Assembly Act, an impeachment motion must be voted on within 72 hours of the 24-hour mark after its filing at a plenary session and needs a majority vote from lawmakers present. If voting is not carried out within 72 hours, the motion is automatically discarded. If Thursday’s plenary session went on for more than 24 hours due to the PPP’s filibuster, the Democratic Party, which holds 168 seats would have been able to pass the motion to impeach Lee.

The Democratic Party plans to persuade National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo to hold another plenary session before the 72 hours are up or withdraw the motion to impeach Lee for now and resubmit it during the plenary session on Nov. 30, which will be followed by another plenary session the following day.

The PPP revealed that it would request Yoon to veto the four bills including the labor bill as planned. The mood within the presidential office points to the inevitability of Yoon’s veto.

After Thursday’s plenary session, PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon slammed the Democratic Party for “recklessly calling for impeachments” and “rushing bills to kill the economy and permanently control broadcasting,” describing it as a “bad opposition that has abandoned the bare minimum of morals.”

Democratic Party floor leader Hong Ihk-pyo dubbed the PPP’s calling off of its filibuster a “trick to rescue Lee,” emphasizing, “Yoon should not veto the Yellow Envelope bill and the three broadcasting bills.”

By Kang Jae-gu, staff reporter; Shin Min-jung, staff reporter; Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

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