"‘I Gave Up Chuseok Holidays Too’ Rookie Lawmakers Break a Sweat in Their First National Assembly Audit Debut"

Starting Today, the 21st National Assembly's First Audit Begins
Meeting First-Term Lawmakers Who Gave Up Chuseok Holiday to Focus on Audit Preparation
Assistants Loosen Ties and Analyze Piles of Documents
Preparing Thoroughly from the Public's Perspective Rather Than Aiming to Be 'Audit Stars'

Heo Eun-ah, a member of the People Power Party, is preparing materials with her aides ahead of the national audit. Photo by Heo Eun-ah's office.

[Asia Economy Reporters Heo Midam and Kim Yeongeun] "We eat separately for now. We usually eat together, but since it’s the audit session and we’re busy, it’s different."

The regular National Assembly session’s highlight, the National Assembly audit (Gukgam), began today (the 7th), embarking on a 20-day marathon. The ruling and opposition parties are expected to fiercely debate issues such as the killing of a public official by North Korea, allegations of preferential treatment during the military service of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae’s son, and family matters related to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.

As a result, the determination of first-term lawmakers wearing their gold badges for the first time is also special. There are 155 first-term lawmakers who must make this audit their debut stage, accounting for more than half of the total number of lawmakers. Among them, we met People Power Party’s Heo Eun-ah, Basic Income Party’s Yong Hye-in, their aides, and secretaries, who are spending their days without rest preparing for the audit, and honestly heard their thoughts on facing the 21st National Assembly audit.

On the morning of the 7th, in Heo’s office, aides were deeply engrossed in preparing materials alongside Representative Heo. They were huddled together, reading and rereading the piles of documents stacked on Heo’s desk, fully immersed in analysis.

One aide was typing nonstop, while others were coming and going outside the office, exchanging messages. The copier was continuously printing papers, and the hands of the staff busily refilling ink moved swiftly.

On the 5th, two days before the first state audit of the 21st National Assembly, officials are preparing for the audit in the comprehensive situation room for the state audit set up at the National Assembly Secretariat. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

On that day, Representative Heo emphasized that she would not use the commonly heard phrases at the audit such as "Resign!", "Is that even something to say now!", or "You should be ashamed in front of the people," which have been habitually overused.

Regarding her determination for the first audit, she said, "I prepared for the audit with the mindset of 'let’s keep the basics.' Rather than shouting in the National Assembly, I want to proceed rationally and logically, just as I have done so far," adding, "(As a first-term lawmaker) I have weaknesses as a political novice, so I thought I should firmly prepare legislation to break prejudices about those parts."

Representative Heo intends to propose effective policies that the public can feel during this audit. As a member of the Science, Technology, Information and Communication Committee, she plans to address issues such as the national overall research and development (R&D) budget, public Wi-Fi policies, and fake news.

As much as she prepared for various issues, her aides were also buried in vast amounts of materials. The desks in the office were scattered with numerous documents for audit preparation, and the staff were busily moving around to get ready for the audit.

Heo expressed gratitude, saying, "I am thankful to the office staff who work hard together with the aides," and added, "Everyone is working diligently as if it were their own job. I appreciate that they allow me to focus on policy."

Yong Hye-in, Member of the Basic Income Party. Photo by the Office of the Member

The office of Basic Income Party’s Yong Hye-in was also busy from early morning. Spokesperson Kim Junho said, "The executives including Representative Yong are preparing for the audit for the first time. I thought they were doing relatively well, but there is some regret that we should have started earlier," and added, "We kept checking materials and preparing for the audit even during the Chuseok holiday."

Representative Yong’s stance is to do her best to faithfully fulfill the audit’s original role rather than becoming a so-called 'audit star' through the session.

Spokesperson Kim said, "The purpose of the National Assembly audit itself is to check whether the national goals have been properly established and whether they are being properly executed to achieve those goals, and to correct and supplement any mistakes," adding, "Rather than reproach and criticism, it is a time to correct wrong parts and create opportunities for policy development and national progress."

As a member of the Planning and Finance Committee, Representative Yong plans to focus on various issues including disaster relief funds. Spokesperson Kim pointed out the blind spots in the government’s selective support policy due to COVID-19, saying, "We plan to question why other payment methods, such as advance payments and calculating through income tax, are not being considered instead of selective payments."

Meanwhile, this year’s audit is subject to strict quarantine rules due to the COVID-19 situation. Accordingly, some standing committees have introduced video conferencing systems for remote audits.

An aide from the People Power Party said, "Usually, the busiest time is 11 p.m. the night before the audit day," but added, "However, due to COVID-19 blocking entry to the National Assembly, it doesn’t seem as crowded as before."

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