The ruling Democratic Party(DP) pushed through the appointment of four key parliamentary committee chairs on Friday, including the heads of the judiciary and budget committees, during a plenary session boycotted by the main opposition.

The National Assembly approved four-term DP lawmaker Lee Choon-suak as the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, three-term lawmaker Han Byung-do as chair of the Budget and Accounts Committee, three-term lawmaker Kim Byung-kee as chair of the Steering Committee, and three-term lawmaker Kim Kyo-heung as chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.

The move came after last-ditch efforts by the People Power Party(PPP) to delay the vote, citing the need for further negotiations on committee distribution.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik accepted the DP’s call for a batch vote, saying it was necessary to elect committee chairs to process the second supplementary budget and related economic legislation.

The PPP criticized the unilateral decision and staged a protest after walking out of the session.

The appointments clear the way for a vote on the supplementary budget bill within the June extraordinary session.