'Individual Microphones and Partitions Installed'... What Changes as the National Assembly Reopens?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The National Assembly, which reopened after three days, showcased a changed appearance with strengthened social distancing measures.

Transparent partitions to block droplets were installed at every seat in the main plenary hall and the main building's meeting rooms, and devices were expanded so that standing committee microphones could be used on a 'one person, one microphone' basis. The opening ceremony of the regular session of the National Assembly, scheduled for the 1st of next month, will also be held simply with everyone wearing masks.

The National Assembly Secretariat allowed entry to the main building and the members' office building only to those holding National Assembly ID cards from 6 a.m. on the 30th. This normalization of the building came after no additional confirmed cases occurred following the closure of the building due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 on the 27th.

During the closure period, the National Assembly conducted disinfection work and took measures to ensure the normal operation of the September regular session. Accordingly, transparent partitions were installed at every seat in the plenary hall to minimize contact between members. Individual standing committees are also sequentially installing transparent partitions starting from the meetings held on the 31st. Partitions will also be installed in the National Assembly reception rooms, key Secretariat meeting rooms, and the comprehensive situation room.

In addition, hand sanitizers were placed at every seat in the meeting rooms. Microphones will be expanded from one per two people to allow individual use. Meeting participants and the press must maintain a distance of at least 1 meter. According to the 'Level 2.5 social distancing' measures announced by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for the metropolitan area, the use of some facilities is restricted. Cafes inside the National Assembly have blocked seating areas, and spaces with concerns of crowding such as staff lounges and indoor smoking areas are restricted.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meetings of each political party, such as the members' general assembly, are expected to be activated in a non-face-to-face format. During the closure period, the United Future Party operated floor leader meetings and emergency committee meetings as trial video conferences. The members' general assembly held on this day will also be conducted online.

The opening ceremony of the regular session on the 1st of next month will be scaled down. The national anthem will be sung only the first verse while wearing masks, and the 4th-floor gallery will not be operated. National Assembly staff are also refraining from attending. The press corps will operate a full press section to minimize the number of people entering. Members of the National Assembly and Cabinet members will attend as usual. In this case, inevitably more than 50 people will gather, but they received an authoritative interpretation from the relevant authorities that 'national meetings stipulated by law can be held.'

However, given the nature of the National Assembly where many unspecified people come and go, the possibility of another closure cannot be ruled out. Currently, if the National Assembly is closed, all work is paralyzed. This is because the National Assembly Act allows meetings and voting only in the main building's meeting rooms. It is also impossible to propose bills from outside. Secretary General Kim Young-chun has proposed amending the law to enable remote voting in the plenary session in preparation for this.

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