Can Acting President Han exercise the right to request reconsideration?

[Anchor]

The issue of whether Acting President Han Duck-soo can exercise the 'right to request reconsideration' has emerged as a point of contention.

There are a total of six bills that must be decided on by the end of this week regarding reconsideration.

First, there is the so-called '4 Agricultural Laws,' including the Grain Management Act.

These laws stipulate that the government will purchase surplus rice or agricultural products to guarantee prices, compensate farmers for losses due to disasters, or require insurance companies to provide compensation without premium surcharges.

There is also a bill that prohibits refusal to attend the National Assembly or submit materials on the grounds of protecting personal information or trade secrets, as well as a bill that would prevent the processing of the budget without the consent of the opposition.

Acting President Han is expected to decide whether to send these bills back to the National Assembly as early as the Cabinet meeting on Thursday (12.19).

Lee Hyun-jun reports.

[Report]

The deadline for deciding on the request for reconsideration of the six bills is December 21.

Acting President Han did not present these bills at today's Cabinet meeting (12.17).

It seems he judged that deciding on reconsideration without sufficient consultation with the National Assembly could make governance even more difficult.

The government, which has stated it will listen to the opinions of the National Assembly until the last minute, is hoping for discussions between the ruling and opposition parties, including options to amend the contentious provisions that have been opposed.

There is also close attention on whether a governance consultative body involving the ruling and opposition parties and the government will be formed.

A senior official from the Prime Minister's Office stated, "It would be desirable for a ruling-opposition-government consultative body to be established before the deadline for the request for reconsideration, and for the contentious bills to be sufficiently discussed within that body."

However, if there is no agreement with the opposition, the general sentiment is that a request for reconsideration will be inevitable based on the government's position that opposed the contents of the bills.

The final conclusion is expected to be made as early as the day after tomorrow, or at the latest during an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on Friday (12.20).

The ruling and opposition parties are continuously pressuring Acting President Han.

[Park Hyung-soo/Chief Deputy Floor Leader of the People Power Party: "We ask that you actively exercise the right to request reconsideration regarding the bad laws that could have a significant impact on the national economy and government finances."]

[Park Chan-dae/Floor Leader of the Democratic Party: "Active exercise of authority is not desirable and will only lead to endless political strife and conflict. Please abandon the idea of exercising the veto."]

The decision on whether to request reconsideration of the six bills is also expected to influence the reconsideration requests for the Special Investigation Bill on the Insurrection and the Special Investigation Bill on Mrs. Kim Keon-hee.

These two special investigation laws were sent to the government today, and the deadline for the request for reconsideration is January 1.

KBS News, Lee Hyun-jun.