여의도 25시 — July 10, 2026
The ruling and opposition parties remain at a complete standstill over the National Assembly's committee structure. While the Democratic Party of Korea is moving forward with key bills—including the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights—the People Power Party continues to boycott, demanding prior negotiations on committee composition. The National Assembly Speaker has called for completion by Constitution Day, but the two sides remain far apart.
Yeouido 25 Hours — July 10, 2026
Today's Political Headlines
Ruling Party holds solo Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting, reviews Criminal Procedure Act
- What happened?: The Democratic Party of Korea held a plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on July 8, kicking off the review of the revised Criminal Procedure Act, which includes the abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights. The People Power Party protested the appointment of the committee's executive secretary, citing a lack of consensus on committee composition, but the Democratic Party proceeded unilaterally.
- Why it matters: This is the first full-scale legislative activity since the Democratic Party unilaterally elected 11 standing committee chairs, including the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, on June 30. While these reform bills face strong opposition, the Democratic Party’s overwhelming majority makes their passage highly likely.
National Assembly committee deadlock continues; Speaker presses for "Constitution Day deadline"
- What happened?: On July 9, during a meeting of floor leaders presided over by the National Assembly Speaker, the Speaker urged the parties to process 59 pending livelihood bills and demanded that "the committee composition be completed before Constitution Day." Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party’s acting leader and floor leader, and Jung Jeom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, expressed agreement in principle but failed to make progress on specific negotiations.
- Why it matters: The People Power Party is making the distribution of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair a prerequisite for participation, but the Democratic Party has already begun operating the committee independently. This delay is obstructing the appointment of executive secretaries and normal legislative activities.
Presidential Office to use Future Response Fund for youth policy and narrowing inequality
- What happened?: On July 7, the Presidential Office announced that the new "Future Response Fund," financed by additional tax revenue from the semiconductor boom, will be invested in strengthening youth policies, narrowing social inequality, and various "mega-projects." The government plans to provide financial support to create effective policies for the youth.
- Why it matters: This shift in policy aligns with the Democratic Party's move last month to amend its party charter and revive the youth supreme council member position for the first time in eight years. It signals that issues like low birth rates and youth employment are emerging as top priorities on the national stage.
People Power Party visits Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency to protest Jang Yoon-gi case
- What happened?: On July 9, the leadership of the People Power Party visited the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency to meet with the commissioner. After failing to coordinate the visit in advance, they attempted to enter the commissioner's office for 40 minutes but were met with resistance from the police. The party cited the need for an independent investigation into the controversial Jang Yoon-gi case as their justification.
- Why it matters: Amidst rising debates over police and prosecutorial reform, the ruling party's formal protest visit is viewed as political pressure on the investigative authorities of the opposition-led government. It is also interpreted as a signal that the ruling party is ramping up its "out-of-assembly" public opinion war.
National Assembly Trends
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Review of Criminal Procedure Act revision begins: The Democratic Party unilaterally convened the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on July 8 to review the revised Criminal Procedure Act, including provisions to abolish the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights and limit mobile phone forensics without a warrant. The People Power Party did not attend, and other committee meetings are also proceeding under Democratic Party leadership.
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Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee & Legislation and Judiciary Committee sessions: Plenary meetings were held on the morning of July 8 for the Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee and the afternoon for the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Many sessions have seen only ruling party members present due to the opposition’s boycott.
Presidential Office & Government
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Future Response Fund distribution: The Presidential Office decided on July 7 to allocate tax revenues from the semiconductor industry to youth policy and reducing inequality. This reflects the new government’s focus on livelihood-oriented fiscal management and raising the priority of youth policies.
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Personnel appointments in the Office for Government Policy Coordination: On July 9, the Presidential Office announced a reshuffle of key positions within the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Office of the Prime Minister to strengthen policy continuity and execution.
Party Conflicts
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Committee negotiations: People Power Party — Boycotting select committees, demanding the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair distribution be resolved first. Democratic Party — Insisting on completing the committee structure before Constitution Day and swiftly processing 59 pending livelihood bills.
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Prosecution reform bills: People Power Party — Criticizing the unilateral push as "authoritarian" under the guise of reform. Democratic Party — Arguing the bills are necessary to prevent the abuse of prosecutorial power and represent the legitimate exercise of legislative authority.
Foreign Affairs & Security
- Korea-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting: On July 8 in Türkiye, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met separately with his Japanese counterpart to reaffirm their shared commitment to developing security cooperation between the two nations and with the United States. They also attended a trilateral ROK-U.S.-Japan foreign ministers' meeting that day, which included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as part of multi-layered diplomatic activities surrounding the NATO summit.
Upcoming Schedule
- July 11 (Fri): Further National Assembly committee meetings and ongoing legislative reviews by the Democratic Party; the focus will be on whether the opposition continues its boycott.
- July 14 (Mon) Constitution Day: The deadline set by the Speaker for completing committee composition; attention is on whether the two parties can reach an agreement.
- Regular session of the National Assembly: Potential discussions on scheduling the regular session for processing pending bills and budget reviews. Whether the National Assembly normalizes is the key variable for the current political climate.
Reporter's View
As the 22nd National Assembly enters its second half, the confrontation between the parties is intensifying. While the Democratic Party's overwhelming numerical advantage (192 seats to the People Power Party’s 108) has accelerated legislative processing, the deadlock over committee composition is likely to drag on. Although the Speaker has set Constitution Day as a deadline, there is little sign that the parties' positions—the ruling party’s focus on committee chair distribution versus the opposition’s push for unilateral operation—will narrow. How the 59 pending bills from the first half are handled and whether the prosecutorial reform bills reach the plenary session will define the political landscape over the next two weeks.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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