Assembly speaker urges parties to reach compromise on bills

SEOUL, March 1 (Yonhap) -- The head of the nation's parliament said Sunday he
will put a set of controversial bills to a parliamentary vote this week if ruling
and opposition parties fail to reach a compromise.
The ultimatum follows a weeklong struggle between the ruling and main opposition
parties over the bills. At the heart of the dispute is a media-industry reform
bill that would allow private businesses and newspapers to jointly own
broadcasting companies.
"If they cannot reach an agreement by today, I will invoke my authority and
present the bills to a plenary session Monday," National Assembly Speaker Kim
Hyung-o said. "They must negotiate even if they have to stay up the entire
night."
Following Kim's warning, the leaders of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and
the main opposition Democratic Party said they will meet later Sunday to try and
reach an agreement on the bills.
The ruling party agreed late last year to sit on the bills until a consensus is
reached with the opposition, ending the then month-long conflict that also left
dozens of police and security officers at the parliament seriously injured.
The party, however, said last week the country could no longer wait for the
parliament to act while its flagging economy is running tens of thousands out of
business and jobs. The media-related bills were passed unilaterally by the ruling
party at the assembly broadcasting and communications committee.
The government and the ruling GNP claim the media bills, along with others, will
help create tens of thousands jobs, a top priority in times of such ongoing
economic difficulties, but their opponents believe it is only an attempt to
increase government influence on powerful broadcasters.
The Assembly speaker made it clear the media-related bills will be the first of
bills to be put to a vote, saying the bills are blocking all the others that are
said to be needed to save the country from the economic downturn.
"The ruling and opposition parties must not pass the buck to the speaker. I urge
them for the last time to stop holding the speaker responsible and start
negotiating," Kim said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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