The National Assembly is scheduled to hold a plenary meeting on Nov. 15, 2018 to handle economic bills, but it is uncertain whether it can convene due to deepening partisan wrangling.
Rival parties earlier agreed to hold the meeting at 2 p.m., but conservative parties are threatening to boycott parliamentary sessions after President Moon Jae-in pushed ahead with appointing the environment minister without lawmakers' consent.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party called on Moon on Tuesday to sack his top aide for civil affairs for failing to properly vet the minister before his nomination. They said that they will not cooperate with the ruling party if their requests are rejected.
The parties' potential boycotting of parliamentary schedules could delay the National Assembly's review of the government's 2019 budget proposal and passage of key bills on the economy.
If a plenary meeting is held as planned, the assembly is expected to handle 90 pending bills.
Meanwhile, the sub-panel of the public administration committee is expected to deliberate on a bill aimed at toughening punishment for drunk driving on Nov. 13, 2018.
Rival parties earlier agreed to swiftly handle the legislation that calls for heavier penalties for drunk drivers and stricter standards of blood alcohol level. It has been pending at parliament since October.
The bill is called the Yoon Chang-ho act, after a 22-year-old soldier who died last week after being in a coma since he was struck by a drunk driver in the southern port city of Busan in September. (Yonhap)