National Assembly to Gradually Ease COVID-19 Restrictions... Speaker Moon and Senior Officials to Return 30% of Salaries

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter Lim Chunhan] On May 4, the National Assembly announced that it would gradually ease the restrictions that had been implemented to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The National Assembly Secretariat stated in a press release that, "As the government announced yesterday the end of social distancing and the transition to 'distancing in daily life,' we plan to gradually ease restrictions, taking into comprehensive consideration the guidelines of health authorities, examples from other institutions, the unique characteristics of parliamentary work, and the possibility of controlling external visitors."

The Secretariat explained, "The principle is to implement phased easing measures for two weeks starting from May 6, and then review whether to relax them further." Accordingly, from May 6, meeting rooms and seminar rooms in the Members' Office Building may be used partially if conditions such as limiting attendance to 50% of capacity, wearing masks, and maintaining distance are met. The National Assembly Training Institute will resume group training sessions, such as local council training, at the end of this month.

The dates for the written exams for the National Assembly civil service recruitment have also been adjusted and finalized. The written exam for Grade 8 civil service recruitment will be held on June 6, and the first round of the legislative examination will be held on June 27. To prevent infection, the exam venues will be disinfected before and after the tests, and measures such as checking candidates' temperatures and reducing the number of examinees per room will be implemented.

There are also areas where the lifting of restrictions has been postponed. The National Assembly Library, the Memorial Hall, parliamentary tours, and fitness facilities will be reviewed for reopening after an additional two-week grace period. The decision will be made carefully, considering the potential for crowding among users.

Measures currently in place-such as temperature checks for all entrants, operation of temporary isolation rooms, and daily disinfection of key areas of the building-will continue.

Meanwhile, to help overcome the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, National Assembly Speaker Moon Heesang and public officials at the vice-ministerial level or higher have decided to return 30% of their salaries starting from April 2020. The National Assembly Secretariat stated that this is in response to President Moon Jaein and senior government officials returning a portion of their salaries. In addition, through the second supplementary budget, the National Assembly reduced approximately 7.4 billion won by cutting the annual leave compensation and short-term training budgets.

The National Assembly also reduced the budget for preparing for the opening of the 21st National Assembly to 2.58 billion won, which is 41.2% of the 6.18 billion won spent for the 20th National Assembly. The Secretariat said, "We are boldly reducing and executing non-essential expenditures," and added, "We will actively cooperate with the government's plans to secure additional resources, such as the third supplementary budget."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.