Korean politicians fight

South Korea's lawmakers have taken matters into their own hands in a row over next year's budget, fighting and blockading offices as well as the main congress hall.

Dozens of opposition lawmakers and their aides fought with members of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) when they prevented them from joining a plenary session of the committee on land and maritime affairs.

A GNP lawmaker was taken to hospital after being hit on the head with a gavel during the scuffle, according to another GNP lawmaker who witnessed the scuffle.

Some 40 lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) took over the chairman's seat and podium at the main congress hall late on Tuesday night to block the GNP from pushing the budget bill through the parliament.

The move came two hours after about 400 lawmakers from the DP and minor opposition parties launched a sit-in at the main lobby of the Congress to block GNP lawmakers from entering parliamentary meetings.