Opposition leader's 24-hour filibuster breaks record

The leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who sought to block a ruling party-led bill to establish a special insurrection tribunal, broke the record for the longest filibuster by a single lawmaker with his 24-hour speech in the National Assembly chamber. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk launched the filibuster at 11:40 a.m. Monday to try to block the bill, proposed by the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), that would create a special tribunal to handle insurrection cases tied to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid in December 2024. The marathon filibuster was halted at around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, when the DPK, which holds a parliamentary majority, voted to end the filibuster 24 hours after it began. Under the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be stopped after 24 hours if at least three-fifths of all lawmakers, or 180 members, consent to it. It marked the first time a main opposition party leader has personally launched a filibuster in Korea. The previous record was held by PPP lawmaker Park Soo-min, who spoke for 17 hours and 12 minutes on Sept. 26. During