민주당, '드루킹 특검' 수용 시사…'국회 정상화' 이뤄질까

South Korea's parliament has been at a standstill for over a month now, and there's little sign of a breakthrough.
The opposition have been demanding the ruling party accept an independent probe into an opinion-rigging scandal involving one of its members.
There's also the matter of ratifying the Panmunjom Declaration that came out of last week's summit.
Kim Min-ji has the latest from the National Assembly.
As to when the month-long paralysis at the National Assembly will come to an end, it's still a question unanswered.
After the April parliamentary session came and went bearing no fruit... there've been concerns whether the rival parties could get their acts together and convene an extraordinary session in May.

Despite several meetings between the floor leaders of the major parties throughout last month and even this week... they've been unable to reach an agreement to end the standstill.
Rival parties have been at odds over a number of pending bills,... as well as amending the Constitution,... and most recently, they have been bickering over an online opinion-rigging scandal involving lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
On top of that, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party is also currently against the ratification of the Panmunjom Declaration,... saying it will only consider the matter after North Korea's summit with the U.S.

But for now, to get parliament moving again,... opposition parties for starters have demanded that the ruling party accept an independent counsel probe into the opinion-rigging scandal.
While the ruling party has been reluctant thus far,... it has indicated that it may accept the request -- but on two conditions.
First, that the main opposition support the ratification of the summit declaration... and second, the passage of the government's extra budget bill that's been sitting at parliament for a month.

But an agreement seems far away at this moment.
The floor leader of the main opposition party said that he would start a hunger strike indefinitely until the ruling party accepts a probe with no strings attached.

The centrist Bareun Mirae Party has also called on the ruling party to make up its mind on the matter by Friday... and if not, the party would take measures of its own.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.