The 21st National Assembly's Stalled Bill Discussions... Can It Shed the 'Empty Assembly' Stigma?

Ruling and Opposition Parties Promise 'Policy Cooperation'... But Mostly COVID-19 Bills Passed
Real Estate Laws Pushed Through by Ruling Party Despite Opposition Protests
Clashes Continue Ahead of Audit on Allegations Against Choo's Son and North Korea Shooting Incident
Social Issue Bills Like Anti-Discrimination Law and Non-Consent Rape Law Remain Pending

[Asia Economy reporters Lim Chun-han and Jeon Jin-young] The 20th National Assembly, which opened with the slogan of a "working parliament," left a stigma as the "worst parliament ever" with a bill passage rate of only 36.9%. According to the National Assembly Legislative Information System on the 6th, the 21st National Assembly, which has been in session for about four months, has recorded a bill passage rate of 6% so far. Having once again declared a working parliament, can the 21st National Assembly truly shed the stigma of the 20th National Assembly?

The 21st National Assembly is expected to perform better than the 20th. While the 20th National Assembly showed the image of a "beast parliament" willing to engage in physical confrontations during the fast-track (rapid processing bill) political turmoil, the new keyword for the 21st is "cooperation." Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, decided to pursue "policy cooperation" by jointly legislating areas where their party platforms and policies align. There are about 37 common pledges and policy platforms. In the 21st National Assembly, bills related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have mainly been passed. Examples include the supplementary budget bill and the bill for refunding university tuition fees related to COVID-19.

However, the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency (Huga) and real estate-related laws were pushed through by the ruling party despite opposition from the opposition parties. With the national audit scheduled to begin on the 7th, issues such as allegations of preferential military service for the children of Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and the shooting of a public official on Yeonpyeong Island by North Korea are expected to become contentious. Although cooperation was emphasized, clashes between the ruling and opposition parties are inevitable during the national audit. The only rejection in the 21st National Assembly was the impeachment motion against Minister Choo, proposed by Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party.

Internal opposition within the People Power Party over the amendment of the three economic laws (Fair Trade Act, Commercial Act, and Financial Group Supervision Act), which have sparked controversy over strengthening regulations on companies, is also likely to be a variable in negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, asked for a cautious approach, citing considerable opposition within the party. Yoon Hee-sook, chairperson of the party's Special Committee on Economic Innovation, also stepped in to halt the process, stating, "The concerns of the business community that corporate management activities are seriously hindered are also important considerations."

Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, is holding a solo protest urging the enactment of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in front of the National Assembly plenary session hall on the 16th of last month. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

In the 21st National Assembly, discussions on socially contentious bills such as the Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act, Anti-Discrimination Act, and Non-Consensual Rape Crime are still sluggish. These bills have sparked fierce debates and even petition battles just by being proposed. National Assembly petitions have surpassed 100,000 signatures and were forwarded to the relevant standing committees, but no significant progress has been made since. This inevitably leads to criticism that the National Assembly, which should resolve social conflicts, is failing to fulfill its role.

According to the National Assembly Legislative Information System, all these bills are currently pending in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act strengthens criminal penalties against business owners when workers die or are injured due to negligence in safety management. The need for legislation has been consistently raised by labor groups whenever industrial accidents such as the Guui Station screen door and coal-fired power plant fatalities occur. However, the business community expresses concerns, calling it excessive legislation.

The Anti-Discrimination Act faces clashes between the progressive camp and conservative Christian groups. Proposed by the Justice Party, the bill aims to prohibit discrimination against anyone based on gender, disability, nationality, race, sexual orientation, and other grounds. However, its legislative prospects are not bright. The Democratic Party and People Power Party have shown passive attitudes, barely meeting the bill proposal requirement of 10 members. The Anti-Discrimination Act was consecutively proposed in the 17th to 19th National Assemblies but was not passed due to opposition from religious groups focusing on the gender identity aspect. In the 20th National Assembly, it was not even proposed due to the Justice Party's failure to find co-sponsors.

The Non-Consensual Rape Crime bill aims to amend the Criminal Act to define rape based on the "presence or absence of consent" rather than violence or threats. This is in response to criticisms that the current law, which defines rape based on violence or threats, is disadvantageous to victim protection. However, opposition arguments citing arbitrary judicial decisions and the possibility of false accusations are strong. For this reason, although 10 bills were proposed in the 20th National Assembly, all were discarded due to expiration of the legislative period.

Bills that were discarded in the 20th and reintroduced in the 21st also attract attention. The Conflict of Interest Prevention Act, which became an issue due to controversy involving independent lawmaker Park Deok-heum, is likely to pass this time as both ruling and opposition parties have pledged to process it. The passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act, which has been proposed in the National Assembly for 13 years, is also being watched. There are calls for the passage of past affairs laws and follow-up bills to punish digital sexual exploitation, which have high public interest. These bills attracted public attention but most of the bills proposed in the 20th National Assembly were automatically discarded due to expiration. Additionally, bills that have still been deprioritized, such as the so-called "Goo Ha-ra Law," which prevents parents who neglect their child-rearing responsibilities from inheriting the deceased child's property, and the Artists' Rights Protection Act, which aims to prevent the recurrence of sexual violence in the arts community, are also drawing attention as to whether they will gain momentum and pass in this National Assembly.

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