With tense negotiations going deep into the night at South Korea's National Assembly key reform bills finally given the so-called "fast track" status. However, the struggle between the main opposition and the other parties is far from over.
Key reform bills will now take the fast-track procedure, after two special parliamentary committees gave them the greenlight.
Four parties agreed last week to fast-track bills, including one on electoral reform to boost proportional representation, one on the creation of an investigative body to probe corruption and another to boost the investigative rights of police.
The designation comes after days of tension and even physical clashes between rival parties due to fierce resistance from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.
The four parties pushed through so that the changes to the electoral system can be applied to next year's general elections.
Such bills can be put up for a full floor vote after 330 days, at maximum.
But the period can be shortened if the parties can reach an agreement.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called on the government to speed up its efforts to support those who are struggling to find jobs.
During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Moon said employment data from February and March point to optimistic changes on increasing employment rate.
But he expressed concern over the declining employment in the manufacturing and retail industries, leading to unstable employment among the 40s.
He also pointed that technology advancements and the aging population is isolating many people from the labor market, requiring the government to strengthen employment stability and social safety nets.
He says these issues make the supplementary budget all the more necessary.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reiterated that conditions must be created to make substantial progress before the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea can sit down for a third summit.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has commented on a possible third North Korea-U.S. summit, explaining it will be held when necessary conditions are created to make a big step forward.
Speaking with the American political newspaper, The Hill, Pompeo said he could not specify the timing of a third meeting.
However, he reaffirmed that Washington hopes to create the conditions so that if President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un get together, they can make substantial progress.
Pompeo also said progress was made in Hanoi, where the talks between the two leaders ended with no agreement. He explained that the two sides came to a deeper understanding of their respective range of freedom.
While explaining that resolving the North's nuclear issue is a difficult challenge, Pompeo stressed that continued economic pressure on the reclusive state would eventually bring another opportunity to unlock and get North Korea to denuclearize.
Former U.S. State Department Special Representative for North Korea, Joseph Yun, says he is the one who signed an agreement to pay North Korea two million U.S. dollars for Otto Warmbier's release.
Speaking to CNN on Monday local time, Yun said the then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave him approval to do so adding it was his understanding that President Trump had given it the green light.
President Trump tweeted last Friday that no money was paid for Warmbier.
Yun said he did not know whether the Trump administration planned to pay, but said he believes the U.S. should keep its promise.
Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea in March 2016.
Otto Warmbier was arrested by the regime and died just a matter of days after he returned home in 2017.
Source: Arirang News
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