By Yoo Dong-ho
Staff Reporter
Long-delayed, pending bills including the Iraq troop dispatch bill will be tackled at an extraordinary session in February, National Assembly Speaker Park Kwan-yong said on Friday.

“A public hearing on an additional troop dispatch to Iraq is slated for mid-January, so deliberation of the bill should be delayed until after another extraordinary session is convened at the National Assembly in February,’’ Park said.

The parliament’s current 30-day extraordinary session ends Jan. 8.

Park refuted the possibility that an extraordinary session would convene this month. ``The move will be viewed as an attempt to shield lawmakers facing prosecution charges from judicial punishment,’’ Park said.

Earlier this week, the Assembly was criticized for rejecting a prosecution request for the arrest of seven lawmakers on illegal fundraising and corruption charges. The nation’s lawmakers have immunity from prosecution when the Assembly is in session.

The Assembly speaker said a bill ratifying the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Chile may be put to a vote at the upcoming extraordinary session in February. ``Although a plenary session will be convened Jan. 7 or Jan. 8, it is unclear whether the FTA bill will be put to a vote for final parliamentary approval,’’ Park said.

Lawmakers representing local farming and fishery constituencies have been working to stop the nation’s first free trade accord to maintain their districts’ votes for the April’s general elections. Passage of the bill would mean local industries would be competing with foreign goods, unrestricted by tariffs.

Another urgent bill waiting for the parliamentary approval at the extraordinary session is the much-touted electoral system bill.

``The Assembly’s special committee for political reform will be formalized during the Jan. 7-8 plenary session so the controversial reform bill can be deliberated at the extraordinary session in February,’’ Park said.

For the past weeks, the pro-government Uri Party and opposition parties failed to reach a consensus on the most contentious issue _ the number of lawmakers to be elected under proportional representation.

yoodh@koreatimes.co.kr