 |
|
| Representative Kim Sun-dong, bottom foreground, a Democratic Labor Party lawmaker, sprays tear gas from a canister at Vice Speaker Chung Ui-hwa in front of the Assembly speaker’s podium yesterday. Provided by Nocut News |
The Grand National lawmakers made an unannounced entrance into the main chamber in the afternoon, startling the opposition Democratic and Democratic Labor parties, who expected the ruling party to railroad through the FTA in a plenary session scheduled for tomorrow.
After an opposition lawmaker sprayed tear gas at the speaker’s podium, and to bellows of complaint from other opposition representatives, the GNP held a floor vote at 4:32 p.m. and approved the pact to lift trade and investment barriers between Korea and the United States. Of the 170 lawmakers who participated, 151 voted for ratification, and seven voted against it. Twelve lawmakers abstained. The remaining 125, largely from liberal opposition parties, refused to participate in the floor vote.
The FTA, concluded in 2007 and renegotiated with Washington late last year, is expected to take effect on Jan. 1. The U.S. Congress approved the pact last month.
The Blue House yesterday welcomed the news. “It’s fortunate that the FTA is ratified, although the process was difficult,” said Choe Geum-nak, the Blue House senior public affairs secretary. “We thank the people for giving unconditional support for the FTA. We also thank the lawmakers who have worked hard for the ratification.”
After the ratification, liberal opposition parties said they would not cooperate on any further legislative activities, including the deliberations on next year’s budget. They also vowed to lead anti-FTA protests in the streets in alliance with civic groups.
After the GNP lawmakers started gathering for the surprise vote, DP and DLP lawmakers rushed to the main chamber to stop them. As he entered the room, DP Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu said, “The GNP and the Lee Myung-bak administration must not turn blind eyes to the people’s will and forcibly railroad this bill.”
Before the floor vote could take place, the main chamber briefly fell into chaos after DLP Representative Kim Sun-dong opened a tear gas canister on the floor and shook it at the speaker’s podium, forcing Vice Speaker Chung Ui-hwa, a Grand National, to vacate the seat. The tear gas attack was a first for Korean politics.
(Earlier in the day, Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae gave his authority to arrange a floor vote to Chung, with a request to complete the review of the ratification bill by 4 p.m.)
The tear gas attack failed to stop the ruling party. Security guards forcibly removed the fiercely resisting Kim from the chamber and Chung declared the opening of the plenary session around 4:24 p.m.
Two minutes later, Chung asked the lawmakers if they agreed with holding the floor vote on the ratification bill in a closed session. Of the 167 lawmakers who participated in the voting, 154 agreed.
Within less than 10 minutes, the FTA was ratified 151-7.
It was widely expected that the GNP would eventually use its majority - 169 lawmakers inside the 295-member legislature - to hold a floor vote and approve the FTA, but the timing was not clear until the last moment. The ratification required the majority of the National Assembly, or at least 148 lawmakers, to participate in the floor vote and a majority to approve it.
A last-ditch effort to reach a compromise between the ruling and opposition parties fell through around 11 a.m. yesterday. One hour later, Representative Hwang Woo-yea, the GNP floor leader, asked National Assembly Speaker Park to introduce the ratification bill for a floor vote.
The GNP began a lawmakers’ caucus at 2 p.m. to discuss next year’s budget. One hour into the meeting, GNP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo announced that the ruling party would vote on the ratification bill that day. The lawmakers got up and moved quickly to the main chamber across the hallway.
Representative Lee Myong-gyu, deputy floor leader of the GNP, led the march of about 130 lawmakers. The GNP members entered the main chamber around 3:07 p.m. The minority conservative Liberty Forward Party also joined the session around 3:52 p.m.
Police were deployed to block lawmakers’ aides from entering the main building of the legislature to prevent possible melees. Journalists were also blocked from entering the main chamber’s observation deck.
Following the approval of the FTA, the National Assembly also passed 14 other bills to revise Korea’s laws to implement the FTA.
“The government will reflect the National Assembly’s recommendations to improve measures to protect our farmers and small businesses made during the legislature’s discussion,” the Blue House’s Choe said. “We will also come up with further follow-up measures to improve their competitiveness. Considering the forecast of a global economic crisis next year, we will also put in our best efforts so that the FTA will help the Korean economy’s revitalization and increase jobs for young people.”
Despite the opposition parties’ persistent demand that a provision on investor-state dispute settlements be removed from the bill, the clause remained.
Lee visited the National Assembly on Nov. 15 and promised to start a renegotiation of the contentious provision with Washington after the legislature ratified the FTA.
Asked if Lee will keep the promise, Choe said yesterday that the president will live up to his word if the National Assembly makes a recommendation.
By Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr]
한글 관련 기사 [중앙일보]
한·미 FTA 4년7개월 만에 통과
재석 170 찬성 151 반대 7 기권 12
한나라 본회의 강행처리 … 내년 1월부터 발효
민노 김선동 최루탄 터뜨려 … 민주당 “무효투쟁”
한·미 자유무역협정(FTA) 비준안이 22일 국회에서 전격 처리됐다. 노무현 정부 시절이던 2007년 4월, 협상이 타결된 이후 4년7개월 만이다. 입법 절차가 마무리됨에 따라 내년 1월 1일부터 한·미 FTA가 양국에서 발효될 전망이다.
한나라당은 이날 기습적으로 본회의를 열어 FTA 비준안을 통과시켰다. 재적의원 295명 중 170명이 참석했고 이 중 찬성이 151명, 반대 7명, 기권 12명이었다. 표결에는 한나라당 박근혜 전 대표와 함께 이회창 전 대표를 포함한 자유선진당 의원 7명도 참여했다.
이날 오후 2시부터 본회의장 맞은편의 예산결산위원회 회의실에서 ‘예산 의원총회’를 하던 한나라당 의원들은 오후 3시 지도부의 전격적인 단독 처리 방침에 따라 곧장 본회의실에 입장해 비준안을 처리했다.
뒤늦게 본회의장에 도착한 야당 의원들이 강력 반발했지만 한나라당 의원들이 재적 과반을 채우고 박희태 국회의장이 질서유지권을 발동하면서 FTA 비준안은 본회의 시작 4분 만에 통과됐다. 김기현 대변인은 “국회의 한계를 극복하기 위한 부득이한 선택이었다”고 말했다. 한나라당은 이날 독점규제 및 공정거래법안 등 비준안 처리에 따른 FTA 이행법안 14개도 통과시켰다.
민주당 손학규 대표는 비준안 통과 직후 긴급 기자회견을 하고 “이 정권이 다시 쿠데타를 저질렀다”며 “한나라당에서 일방적으로 강행 처리한 한·미 FTA의 무효를 선언하고 무효투쟁을 벌여나갈 것”이라고 말했다. 민주당이 예산안 처리 등 향후 국회 일정을 중단하고 투쟁에 나서기로 함에 따라 정국 경색은 불가피할 전망이다.
이에 앞서 민주노동당 김선동 의원은 본회의 개의 직전인 4시8분, 회의장 발언대에서 미리 가방 속에 넣어 가지고 들어온 최루탄을 꺼내 터뜨렸다. 국회 본회의장에서 최루탄이 터진 것은 헌정 사상 처음이다. 김 의원은 곧바로 경위들에 의해 격리됐다. 한나라당 이두아 원내대변인은 “김 의원이 의회 민주주의를 무시한 것은 물론 국민을 향해 최루탄을 던지는 테러를 저질렀다”고 비판했다. 그러나 여야 의원들 간의 몸싸움은 벌어지지 않았다.
한편 한국무역협회 등 경제단체들은 한·미 FTA 비준 동의안 통과가 우리 경제사의 중대한 전환점이라고 평가하면서 일제히 환영했다. 반면 FTA 저지 범국민운동본부는 이날 오후 5시 여의도 산업은행 앞에서 집회를 하고 한나라당 주도의 표결 처리를 규탄했다.
