DP leader urges PPP to end parliamentary boycott amid security concerns over N.K.-Russia treaty

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung urged the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Friday to end its boycott of parliamentary proceedings, saying the rival parties should work together for national security amid concerns about deepening cooperation between Russia and North Korea. The PPP has been boycotting all parliamentary sessions after the Democratic Party (DP) unilaterally selected 11 out of the 18 parliamentary committee chiefs for the newly launched 22nd parliament without the PPP's participation. The rival parties have yet to agree on who will head the remaining seven committees, including the foreign affairs and unification committee and the national defense committee. "After Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea, the North and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, which is close to a military alliance and contains perilous details," Lee said during a meeting of the party's leadership. "The ruling party should immediately return to the National Assembly and c ome up with measures about security issues," he said. On Wednesday, Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to offer military assistance if either is attacked in a treaty signed during their rare summit in Pyongyang. Source: Yonhap News Agency