With the Seoul G20 Summit just around the corner, the ruling and opposition parties are at odds once again, clashing over the controversial assembly law.

The Constitutional Court ruled last September that the assembly law clause which bans outdoor rallies during nighttime was not constitutional. It was totally discarded from July.

As an alternative offer, the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) proposed a revised bill that restricts outdoor rallies from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the next day.

GNP officials insist that the revised assembly law is necessary to keep Seoul and other areas across the country safe. Other proponents support their view, claiming that rallies tend to turn violent during nighttime.

They also stress that nighttime rally ban is necessary, especially since security is one of the foremost concerns with the G20 Summit just right ahead.

On the other hand, the bill by opposing Democratic Party (DP) principally allows all nocturnal outdoor rallies, except in residential areas, school zones and military districts.

Opposition parties say that the GNP¡¯s proposal is unconstitutional and anachronistic. ¡°The GNP¡¯s assembly law revision bill seriously violates the constitutional rights of the people and should be held back by all means,¡± said spokesperson Jeon Hyun-hee of the opposition DP.

They also point out that it is unreasonable to restrict the people¡¯s basic rights of assembly permanently for the sake of summit meeting that just takes two days only.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency decided earlier to make full use of other clauses of the assembly law valid currently for security and protection of Seoul from any kind of possible chaos caused by sudden rallies, according to officials.