National Assembly Tables Broadcasting Act for Plenary Session Vote... Opposition Party to Filibuster Again After Over a Year

Ruling Party Expected to Prioritize Broadcasting Act After Termination Vote Tomorrow

Yellow Envelope Act & Commercial Act Amendments to be Handled in August National Assembly

National Assembly Plenary Session (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Park Dong-ju = The amendment to the Local Education Finance Expenditure Fund Act is being passed at the National Assembly plenary session on the 4th. 2025.8.4 pdj6635@yna.co.kr

 Among the Broadcasting Act, the Broadcasting Act, the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Foundation Act, and the Korea Educational Broadcasting Corporation Act, which are contentious bills between the ruling and opposition parties, the Broadcasting Act was tabled at the National Assembly plenary session on the 4th.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik first tabled the Broadcasting Act among the contentious bills after voting on non-contentious bills at the plenary session that day.

Earlier, the National Assembly approved a motion to change the agenda for the plenary session, which began around 2 p.m. that day, including the three broadcasting bills spearheaded by the Democratic Party.

The original order of agenda items was Commercial Act, three broadcasting bills, and Yellow Envelope Act (amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act), but it was changed to process the three broadcasting bills before the Yellow Envelope Act and the Commercial Act amendments.

The People Power Party decided to filibuster (legally obstruct the legislative process through unlimited debate) in protest of the processing of these bills.

The filibuster on the Broadcasting Act began around 4:01 p.m. that day.

Rep. Shin Dong-wook of the People Power Party was the first to filibuster.

The People Power Party also filibustered in early July last year to block the processing of bills such as the Special Prosecutor Act for Sergeant Chae, the Yellow Envelope Act, and the Broadcasting Act.

Even if the People Power Party tries to block the processing of contentious bills through a filibuster on this day, the Democratic Party, which holds an overwhelming majority of seats, can terminate the debate through a vote 24 hours after the filibuster begins, in accordance with the National Assembly Act, and proceed to a vote on the bill.

Speaker Woo stated, "A motion to terminate unlimited debate on the amended bill for the Broadcasting Act was submitted by Rep. Moon Jin-seok and 166 others at 4:03 p.m."

However, even with a vote, only the filibuster on one agenda item can be terminated, meaning the ruling party can physically process only one bill within the July extraordinary session, which ends on the 5th.

Accordingly, among the three broadcasting bills, the other two bills (the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Foundation Act and the Korea Educational Broadcasting Corporation Act Amendment) along with the Yellow Envelope Act and the Commercial Act amendments will be carried over to the August extraordinary session. Yonhap News