SOUTH KOREA: BRAWL IN PARLIAMENT

Описание: (7 Jan 1999) Korean/Nat
The South Korean parliament was once again reduced to chaos on Thursday as opposition and ruling coalition members lashed out at each other.
It was the second day tempers flared in Seoul - congressmen clashed on Wednesday after ruling coalition lawmakers pushed through legislation against the opposition.
The dispute stems from allegations by opposition lawmakers that government agents have been spying on politicians from a room in the General Assembly building.
In a rerun of Wednesday's incident, scuffles broke out again in the parliament.
Ruling party lawmakers forced their way into the main General Assembly hall where opposition members were staging a sit-down protest.
Violent shoving matches took place between rival legislators but there were no reports of injuries.
Opposition members had been boycotting the legislative session after accusing the government intelligence agency of spying on them.
Three South Korean opposition party officials have now been arrested following a probe into the theft of government documents from a room in the General Assembly building.
The three were mid-ranking officials of the Grand National Party.
They are accused of breaking into the room and seizing intelligence agency documents on New Year's Eve.
Opposition members say the documents prove their accusations that government agents were spying on politicians from a small room within the General Assembly building.
Ruling party officials reject the charges.
Angered by the latest developments, opposition legislators have staged a protest sit- down in the Assembly's main chamber.
It's aimed at obstructing passage of some contentious bills and motions being pushed by the ruling coalition against the opposition.
They put up signs on the Assembly's podium which read: "Apologise for political surveillance" and "Let's protect the legislative right from the spy agency."
As a result of the opposition protests, ruling party lawmakers and their allies have been conducting business this week without the opposition.
As a result, the ruling party members, who enjoy a slim majority in the 299-member parliament, adopted a plan for a one-month hearing into the cause of the nation's economic crisis.

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