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S.Korea's opposition party ends 10-day sit-in in parliament

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-05 17:15

SEOUL -- South Korea's opposition party ended a 10-day sit-in protest at the National Assembly on Monday, local media said.

Parliament security officers remove a member of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) who was staging a sit-down protest with other members and lawmakers of the DLP in front of a main entrance of the parliament plenary session hall in Seoul early January 5, 2009. [Agencies]

Members of the Democratic Party (DP) ended their sit-in at the entrance of the main hall of the assembly earlier in the day after National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o promised not to invoke his authority to put contentious bills to vote without cross-party compromise.

Related readings:  SKorean MPs fail to end impasse on US trade deal

At an interview with local SBS broadcast early on the day, Chairman of the DP Chung Se-kyun said the party will consider ending the protest "at an appropriate time".

However, about 20 aides and staffers of another opposition party the Democratic Labor Party refusing to end their sit-in at the entrance were frog-marched out of the building by security officials, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

The opposition parties blocked the assembly in protest against the ruling Grand National Party (GNP)'s attempt to approve some 80 bills, including a disputed free trade pact with the US, before the current session that ends Thursday.

The GNP currently controls 172 out of a total of 298 seats at the assembly. The bills initiated by the ruling party and government could be passed easily despite opposition party's boycott.

During the past 10 days, violent conflicts occurred at the assembly when security guards trying to drive off the opposition party lawmakers, leaving 53 guards and one opposition party lawmaker injured.