Democratic Party Leadership Also in Self-Quarantine... Will 'Remote National Assembly' Become a Reality Amid COVID-19 Situation?

Partial Closure of National Assembly Building Due to COVID-19 Infection Concerns
Concerns Over Disruptions to Future National Assembly Schedule... Growing Calls to Switch to 'Remote Voting'
Proactive Adoption of Video Conferencing and Remote Voting in Europe, Including the UK and EU
Need to Amend Certain Provisions of the National Assembly Act Domestically

Night view of the National Assembly Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 26th. A reporter who covered the Democratic Party of Korea's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that morning tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the closure of some National Assembly buildings starting from the 27th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Amid the surge of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), confirmed cases have occurred at the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, leading to lawmakers being placed under self-quarantine and the closure of the National Assembly main building.

As a result, some National Assembly schedules are expected to be disrupted. Consequently, calls are growing to introduce the so-called 'remote National Assembly,' which would allow voting to be conducted online without lawmakers having to attend in person during disaster situations such as COVID-19.

Earlier, on the 26th, a photographer who attended the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the party leadership to enter self-quarantine.

The meeting was attended by about 50 people, including Democratic Party leaders such as Representative Lee Hae-chan, Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon, Supreme Council members Park Kwang-on, Nam In-soon, Lee Hyeong-seok, and members of the press.

Upon learning of the photographer's positive diagnosis, the Democratic Party immediately entered an emergency state. Lawmakers who attended the Supreme Council meeting were placed under self-quarantine and will undergo COVID-19 testing starting today (the 27th).

The National Assembly was promptly closed. The Secretariat of the National Assembly decided to close and disinfect the main building, the Communication Hall, and the Members' Office Building for one day.

This is the second time the National Assembly main building has been closed due to COVID-19 preventive measures. Previously, in February, the main building and other key facilities were closed after a confirmed case was reported from an event attendee at the Members' Office Building.

Given the situation, it seems inevitable that future National Assembly schedules will be disrupted. With the main building closed, meetings of nine standing committees scheduled for the 27th?including the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Administration and Security Committee, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, and Budget and Accounts Committee?were all canceled.

Effectively, the legislative branch has temporarily come to a halt. The administrative offices of each standing committee plan to reschedule the meetings.

As a result, voices are emerging calling for the temporary introduction of 'remote National Assembly' during the COVID-19 resurgence phase. Remote National Assembly refers to using video conferencing software such as Zoom to conduct meetings and voting remotely, allowing lawmakers to perform their duties online even if they are quarantined or the National Assembly building is closed.

Last April, Wendy Chamberlain, a Member of Parliament from the UK's Liberal Democrats, participated in parliamentary work remotely from her home. / Photo by Yonhap News

Previously, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures implemented in the second quarter (April to June), several European countries proactively introduced remote National Assembly systems.

On April 16, the UK Parliament became the first in the world to fully install Zoom video conferencing software in the House of Commons, the legislative body, enabling debates without physical attendance, known as the 'virtual parliament.'

The virtual parliament operated with about 50 key lawmakers attending the main chamber in person, while the rest participated remotely from home via video conferencing software. In May, the UK made history by conducting its first-ever remote electronic vote during the election of committee chairs in the House of Commons.

In addition, the parliaments of France, Germany, Spain, and the European Parliament?the elected legislative body of the European Union?also conducted remote voting. In the United States House of Representatives, although a bill to allow remote voting was rejected, guidelines were established to permit proxy voting temporarily when a member is quarantined at home due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Young-min is holding a forum on improving the child abuse system in a non-face-to-face format for the first time at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the morning of the 21st. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, in South Korea, there are currently no legal provisions allowing agenda items to be processed through remote attendance.

According to Articles 110 and 111 of the National Assembly Act, the Speaker must announce the title of the agenda and the voting results from the Speaker's seat, and lawmakers cannot participate in voting unless they are physically present in the meeting room. These provisions were introduced to prevent so-called 'quick passing' tactics, where meetings were abruptly moved or locked down to pass bills.

In this context, some voices are calling for amendments to the National Assembly Act to allow remote attendance and voting participation with the Speaker's permission during emergencies such as infectious disease outbreaks.

On the 19th, Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Seung-rae introduced a bill, known as the 'Non-face-to-face National Assembly Act Amendment,' which permits lawmakers to participate in voting remotely.

The bill's core provision allows lawmakers who find it difficult to attend the National Assembly in person to participate in voting remotely in the plenary session with the Speaker's approval.

Lawmaker Cho explained the reason for proposing the bill, saying, "There have been several instances where the National Assembly stopped due to lawmakers being exposed to the risk of COVID-19 infection, but no measures were prepared so far. We must ensure that important bills or budgets for the people's livelihood are not left unprocessed during national emergencies such as infectious disease crises."

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