Another deadline for lawmakers at the National Assembly.<br />If the parties fail to reach a compromise by 2PM today,... namely on the online opinion rigging scandal, and the handling of the extra budget bill,... it seems there won't be an end to the deadlock.<br />In a bid to solve the issue,... the assembly speaker is set to meet with the floor leaders of the parties in the coming hours.<br />Park Hee-jun has the details. South Korea's National Assembly has failed again to end a deadlock that's lasted over a month.<br /> The floor leaders of the main negotiation blocs met Monday morning... to look for a compromise on issues including an online opinion-rigging scandal and parliamentary ratification of the Panmunjom Declaration.<br /><br />The discussion was joined by Woo Won-sik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Kim Sung-tae of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, Kim Dong-cheol of the centrist Bareun Mirae Party, and Roh Hoe-chan representing both the Justice Party and the Party for Democracy and Peace.<br /><br /> The biggest conflict was over the scandal, in which an influential blogger is said to have used a computer program to boost the number of "likes" for online comments critical of the current Moon Jae-in administration.<br />And a former lawmaker of the ruling party is suspected to have connections with the blogger.<br />The Liberty Korea Party has been demanding an investigation by an independent counsel,... something the Democratic Party of Korea had refused but finally conceded on Monday -- on the condition that Parliament simultaneously consider an extra budget bill on the 24th of this month.<br />But the Liberty Korea Party insisted that the probe has to begin first,... dashing hopes of a breakthrough.<br /><br /> "We made this compromise, and still they disagreed. They must have other intentions or they may have wrecked everything on purpose."<br /><br />"The Liberty Korea Party and the Bareun Mirae Party won't accept anything that they don't want. Their stubbornness led to today's failure."<br /><br /> National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-Kyun has set a deadline of Tuesday at 2 PM for the parties to get things moving again -- in consideration of the June local elections... and the fact that the ruling party will elect a new floor leader this week.<br />That leaves less than a day for the parties to continue their hasty negotatiations... with a last-minute deal still possibly on the table.<br />Park Hee-jun, Arirang News. <br />
