Ethics Committee Punishing 'Mangwon' Lawmakers, Revived as a Standing Committee?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Attention is focusing on whether the Ethics Special Committee, which reviews the qualifications and disciplines members of the National Assembly who have made outrageous remarks or committed misconduct, will be reinstated as a permanent special committee in the 21st National Assembly.

The Ethics Special Committee has not been formed even one year after its activities ended on June 30 last year. Article 46 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that the National Assembly must form the Ethics Special Committee. However, even after all 18 standing committee chairpersons were elected and the organizational structure was finalized in the 21st National Assembly, the Ethics Special Committee was excluded. It was pushed to the sidelines, buried under other pending issues.

The neglect of the Ethics Special Committee is largely due to its downgrade to a temporary special committee in the latter half of the 20th National Assembly. The Ethics Special Committee started as a permanent body in 1991 but became a temporary special committee after the National Assembly Act was amended in July 2018. At that time, Hong Young-pyo, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Sung-tae, floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party (the predecessor of the United Future Party), agreed during organizational negotiations to split the existing Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee into the Education Committee and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, while simultaneously converting the Ethics Special Committee into a temporary special committee.

Temporary special committees have limited activity periods. The floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties usually set the activity period to six months, and additional activities require an extension of this period. The will of the floor leaders is therefore crucial. In the 20th National Assembly, the committee was automatically dissolved as the floor leaders did not extend the activity period. When the committee's activities ended, members of the Liberty Korea Party who disparaged the May 18 Democratic Movement?Kim Jin-tae, Kim Soon-rye, and Lee Jong-myung?as well as Representative Sohn Hye-won, who faced disciplinary proposals over real estate speculation allegations in Mokpo, were all effectively exonerated.

As the Ethics Special Committee has been unable to perform its proper function, voices have emerged in the 21st National Assembly calling for its reinstatement as a permanent committee.

Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok and Deputy Speaker Kim Sang-hee have pledged to make the Ethics Special Committee permanent to strengthen the ethical responsibility of National Assembly members. Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, also proposed "making the Ethics Special Committee a permanent Ethics Committee." Relatedly, Kwon Eun-hee, floor leader of the People’s Party, has submitted a bill to amend the National Assembly Act to establish a citizen jury within the Ethics Special Committee and create an Ethics Investigation Subcommittee to enhance independence.

The Democratic Party has also incorporated this intention into the "Working National Assembly Act," which was jointly proposed by floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon after consolidating party consensus. The bill suggests creating an "Ethics Judiciary Committee" by removing the Legislative and Judiciary Committee’s systematic and textual review functions and adding the Ethics Special Committee’s qualification review and disciplinary functions. The Ethics Judiciary Committee would be mandated to request investigations within 20 days of a disciplinary proposal being submitted and to process the agenda within 60 days of receiving the investigation results. The Democratic Party members Lee Jung-moon, Park Kwang-on, and Kim Seung-won have also proposed bills to make the Ethics Special Committee permanent.

The floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties are scheduled to meet on the 28th, chaired by Speaker Park, to discuss the establishment of the Ethics Special Committee. A National Assembly official said, "Since it is on the agenda, discussions will take place," adding, "Both ruling and opposition parties agree on the establishment, but there will likely be many discussions regarding the format."

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