Seoul, Aug 4 South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party (DP) proposed a controversial broadcasting bill aimed at reducing the government's influence over public broadcasters on Monday, prompting the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to launch a filibuster in protest.
The amendment to the Broadcasting Act -- one of three contentious broadcasting bills aimed at reforming the governance structure of the nation's public broadcast media by weakening the government and the National Assembly's power to name board directors -- was tabled at a parliamentary plenary session before the Assembly's extraordinary session ends at midnight Tuesday.
In protest, PPP lawmakers launched a filibuster at 4:01 p.m. in an attempt to block the bill., Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, DP leader Jung Chung-rae said the ruling party, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, would seek to pass the broadcasting bills at the session.
Jung said the DP will also push to pass other bills opposed by the PPP, including the "yellow envelope law," aimed at broadening labour protections and restricting companies from seeking damages for legitimate union activities, as well as a revision to the Commercial Act intended to better protect minority shareholders.
Earlier in the session, lawmakers voted to revise the order of the bills to be handled, placing the Broadcasting Act ahead of the Commercial Act and the yellow envelope bill.
A filibuster involves lawmakers holding the floor for extended periods as a way to prevent a parliamentary vote or delay the passage of a bill. Under the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be stopped after 24 hours if at least three-fifths of all parliament members, or 180 lawmakers, consent to it.
Only one bill can be realistically passed before the Assembly's extraordinary session ends.
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