Preventing Conflicts of Interest for National Assembly Members... 'Do Jong-hwan and Lee Gae-ho Prevention Act' Passed in National Assembly Plenary Session

Assemblywoman Baek Hyun-jin of the People Power Party (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Bo-ryeong] With the passage of the partial amendment to the National Assembly Act concerning the prevention of conflicts of interest for members of the National Assembly, issues such as the 'concurrent holding of positions' by lawmakers are expected to be resolved.

According to political circles on the 1st, the 'Partial Amendment to the National Assembly Act' spearheaded by Bae Hyun-jin, a member of the People Power Party, passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 29th of last month, reflecting the alternative proposed by the National Assembly Steering Committee.

During the selection of standing committee chairpersons in June last year, Representative Bae raised concerns about Democratic Party members Do Jong-hwan and Lee Gae-ho, who had recently served as ministers, being elected as chairpersons of standing committees overseeing the ministries they had previously led. Do, a former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was appointed Chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, while Lee, who served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, became Chair of the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee.

In response, Representative Bae proposed an amendment to the National Assembly Act to prevent conflicts of interest among lawmakers. The amendment includes provisions requiring the Ethics Advisory Committee of the Special Ethics Committee to assess 'whether a member of the National Assembly holds concurrent positions and matters related to conflict of interest prevention' during the selection process of standing committee members, and to notify the Speaker of the National Assembly and political parties accordingly.

With the passage of this bill, issues related to lawmakers holding concurrent positions or engaging in profit-making activities, which have been controversial during the appointment of standing committee members, are expected to be resolved.

Representative Bae stated, "Members of the National Assembly are entrusted by the people to serve them faithfully by overseeing and checking the executive branch." He added, "The establishment of the Ethics Advisory Committee within the National Assembly's Special Ethics Committee will play a role in forming committees that can determine conflicts of interest, such as close ties with the executive branch during the selection of standing committee members, enabling lawmakers to fulfill their legislative duties."

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