National Assembly set to vote on judiciary reform bill as filibuster nears deadline

▲ An opposition lawmaker filibusters at a plenary session of the National Assembly in Seoul, in this file photo from July 27, 2025, to prevent the passage of a bill calling for allowing constitutional appeals of court rulings. (Yonhap)

▲ Rep. Kim Hee-jung (at the podium) of the main opposition People Power Party makes a filibuster speech at a plenary session of the National Assembly in Seoul on Feb. 27, 2026, to prevent a vote on a ruling Democratic Party-led bill calling for allowing constitutional appeals of court rulings, while Speaker Woo Won-shik closes his eyes in the speaker's seat. (Yonhap)

parliament-plenary session

National Assembly set to vote on judiciary reform bill as filibuster nears deadline

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly, led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), was set Friday to vote on a key judicial reform bill as the opposition's filibuster to block the move approached its 24-hour limit.

The DP is expected to put the revision to the Constitutional Court Act to a vote during a plenary session later in the day, after the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) launched another filibuster Thursday to stall the procedure amid a deepening bipartisan standoff.

The legislation, one of three judicial reform bills pushed by the DP, would allow the Constitutional Court to review Supreme Court rulings, including those already finalized by the top court.

The ruling party, which currently holds a parliamentary majority, argued the bills will better protect people's rights, while the PPP has strongly opposed them, accusing the DP of attempting to undermine the independence of the judiciary and filling the courts with justices favorable to the ruling camp.

The opposition also questioned whether the bills are genuinely intended to advance judicial reform or to shield President Lee Jae Myung from his five criminal trials, which have been suspended following his presidential election last year.

One of the three bills -- a piece of legislation that introduces the new crime of "legal distortion" -- passed the Assembly on Thursday.

Shortly after, the PPP launched a filibuster, a parliamentary tactic to delay the vote by continuing debate, to prevent the DP from moving forward with the other two bills.

The PPP has been staging back-to-back filibusters since the plenary session began Tuesday.

The latest filibuster is set to reach its 24-hour limit at around 7:30 p.m., clearing the way for the DP to pass the judicial reform bill.

The DP plans to introduce the final judiciary reform bill, which seeks to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from the current 14 to 26.

A filibuster involves lawmakers holding the floor for extended periods as a way to prevent a parliamentary vote or delay the passage of a bill. Under the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be stopped after 24 hours if at least three-fifths of all parliament members, or 180 lawmakers, consent to it.

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