Instead of 'Member,' 'Jeonghun,' Introducing Staff Instead of Bill No. 1... Is This the First Time for Such a Member?

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] “Staff members should be like shadows,” “Staff should not try to outshine the lawmakers.”

In the National Assembly, where formality and corresponding titles are highly valued, these are unwritten rules for staff members. Although an authoritarian culture still exists in the National Assembly, winds of change are blowing. On the 2nd, at the National Assembly Communication Office, a press conference was held by the so-called ‘eccentric lawmaker’s office’ that calls lawmakers by their names with the honorific ‘nim’ instead of ‘Member’ (uiwon-nim). This is the office of Assemblyman Jo Jeonghun of the Transition Korea party.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Assemblyman Jo, who was elected through proportional representation after joining the Together Citizens’ Party in the April 15 general election, returned to his original party, Transition Korea, to begin his legislative activities. On the 2nd, he held a ‘staff introduction’ press conference as his first event in the 21st National Assembly. Usually, lawmakers’ first press conferences after the opening of the Assembly introduce their first bill. However, Assemblyman Jo introduced himself and gave a greeting, then immediately stepped aside to give the stage to his eight staff members. These staff members had been preparing since last month for their one-minute self-introductions for their own press conference, not one held by the Staff Association.

The staff members spoke in alphabetical order. Although the hierarchy among National Assembly staff rises from secretary to secretary-general to aide, the first speaker was Secretary Koo Aerim. She began, “I am still a young person contemplating my career and future, a woman afraid of crime, and a house-poor hoping to escape from a monthly rental room.” The press conference continued with Aide Kwon Byungtae, who worked as a construction day laborer for 10 years, and Secretary Park Seolhee, a former ballerina.

“I want to create a world with Jeonghun-nim where people are not discriminated against because of their jobs.”

Throughout the staff introductions, Assemblyman Jo was consistently referred to as ‘Jeonghun-nim.’ The so-called ‘nim culture,’ which attaches the honorific ‘nim’ to names instead of using titles, is commonly used in startups, foreign companies, and IT firms to promote a horizontal organizational culture. While staff members usually say they ‘serve the lawmaker,’ here they say they ‘assist Jeonghun-nim.’

Assemblyman Jo’s office, themed around ‘everyday progressivism,’ includes legislative partners from ordinary and diverse backgrounds such as day laborers, small business owners, and working moms. Because of the use of ‘nim culture,’ it is sometimes called the ‘eccentric lawmaker’s office.’ However, cracks are slowly appearing in the National Assembly’s rigid sense of authority. Along with Assemblyman Jo, more offices in the 21st National Assembly are pursuing horizontal office cultures. The office of Assemblyman Lee Yongwoo of the Democratic Party, former CEO of Kakao Bank, also uses nicknames instead of formal titles. Assemblywoman Jang Hyeyoung of the Justice Party introduced a messenger app that prohibits contact outside working hours.

At the press conference, Assemblyman Jo said, “It is only right to introduce the staff who will work hard with me to form the legislative body of the National Assembly going forward.” He emphasized, “One lawmaker is said to be the legislative body itself, but none of this can be achieved without the efforts of everyone in Room 544 (Assemblyman Jo’s office).”

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