Fists fly at parliament as MPs try to block ‘evil laws’

January 5, 2009
Leo Lewis

Seoul’s National Assembly building – the seat of South Korea’s explosive brand of democracy – is braced for a week of mayhem and violence as a key parliamentary deadline looms and opposition politicians dig-in for a siege.

The stand-off within the precincts of the assembly comes as South Korean leaders attempt to use the last few days of the current parliamentary session to ram through legislation aimed partly at alleviating the worsening economic crisis in the country.

With a majority in parliament, the ruling Grand National party of Lee Myung Bak has all the seats it needs to ensure the laws are passed. The complex package of 85 Bills, however, has inflamed the anger of the main opposition bloc, whose members have resorted to physically preventing any vote taking place.

Photo: Parliament security officials drag away an opposition party member who have been staging a sit-in demonstration in front of a main entrance of the parliament plenary session hall at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009. Legislators from the main opposition Democratic Party have locked themselves inside the National Assembly's main hall since Dec. 26 to prevent Lee's Grand National Party from ramming through dozens of bills they oppose, including ratification of a free trade pact with the United States.

The package – dubbed “Myung Bak’s evil laws” by its opponents – includes the loosening of media regulations, supposedly to the advantage of the current leadership, a selection of tax breaks supposedly favouring the wealthy and the ratification of a free trade agreement with the US.

The opposition to the agreement, nominally in defence of Korean farmers, is baffling to many commentators: the pact was signed as the last, legacy-hungry act of President Lee’s immediate presidential predecessor, Roh Moo Hyun, of the Democratic Party.

The expected violence at the assembly – nearly 1,000 police officers have been posted outside – comes after a weekend of brawling within the parliamentary complex. Fighting started after a botched attempt by the National Assembly secretariat to disperse the sit-in protest that has paralysed South Korean politics for nearly a fortnight.

Photo: South Korean opposition parties members, left, confront parliament security officials at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party have been staging a sit-in at the National Assembly since Dec. 26 in a bid to thwart conservatives from ramming through dozens of measures, including ratification of a free trade pact with the U.S.,before the session ends.

With police officially barred from the National Assembly building its security staff were, on Saturday, called upon to dislodge the protesters. The guards were confronted by about 300 members of the Democratic Party, including a number of MPs. In the fighting that ensued about 50 protesters and a similar number of security guards were said to have been hurt.

The passions ignited by the attempts to push the Bills through before January 8 highlight the volatility of Korean politics and the unexpected fragility of Mr Lee’s Government. Despite being voted into power by a landslide victory a little over a year ago, say political analysts in Seoul, the President has lurched seemingly from crisis to crisis without ever establishing control of each situation. Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang heightened markedly and Mr Lee endured a long summer of protests and corporate scandal before the global financial crisis hit the export-led economy.

Hurled shoes, screaming and mass scrummages are not rare occurrences in South Korean politics: in mid-December opposition MPs attempted to enter a committee session in a clash that involved a power saw, sledgeham-mer and a fire extinguisher.

The acrimony worsened last night when the opposition party filed a criminal suit against the Speaker of parliament for allegedly abusing power and resorting to violence when attempting to end the assembly siege.