LAWMAKERS QUESTION GOV’T POLICIES

[Anchor Lead]

The National Assembly's April extraordinary session is to kick off today with parliamentary questioning. With a multitude of contentious issues such as diplomacy with Japan and special investigations, as well as the anticipated veto by President Yoon on the Grain Management Act revision bill, a fierce clash between the ruling and opposition parties seems inevitable.

[Pkg]

Monday's parliamentary questioning on the government's political and foreign affairs issues is expected to focus on President Yoon Suk Yeol's diplomacy with Japan. The Democratic Party, planning a government investigation about the outcomes of the Korea-Japan summit and a visit to Fukushima, is expected to criticize the administration's subservient diplomacy as well as probe why national security chief Kim Sung-han and other foreign affairs aides were replaced.

[Soundbite] Lee Soo-jin(Floor spokesperson, DP) : "They must not evade and must answer faithfully. They should no longer give irrelevant answers and feign ignorance to let slide the disastrous submissive diplomacy toward Japan and the Yoon government's maladministration."

The People Power Party claimed that the opposition bloc habitually engage in political feuds and incitement against national interests. The ruling party said that government questioning should target as far back as the inter-Korean summit during the Moon Jae-in administration.

[Soundbite] Kim Gi-hyeon(Chair, People Power Party) : "This is just like how they incited the rumors that THAAD electromagnetic waves would fry people and imported U.S. beef would cause mad cow disease and poke holes in people's brains."

Another issue for the extraordinary session in April is the Grain Management Act revision bill that passed the National Assembly on March 23rd. President Yoon is expected to veto the bill at the cabinet meeting this week at the earliest. The Presidential Office said opinions were received from more than thirty farmers' groups and the president will process the bill within appropriate time. However, as the DP warned of tabling a similar bill again, the government and the opposition camp are heading toward inevitable confrontation. Other thorny issues include the revisions to the Nursing Act and the Broadcasting Act, which were directly tabled to the general assembly by the majority DP and the appointment of special prosecutors to investigate the so-called 'five billion won club' scandal and alleged stock price manipulation by First Lady Kim Keon-hee. The PPP will select its new floor leader this week while the DP is scheduled to do the same at the end of this month. It remains to be seen how lawmakers will handle all these pending issues.