[Reporter’s Notebook] National Assembly Audit Overshadowed by Lee Jae-myung and Kim Gun-hee... 'Policy Verification' Disappears

Dispute Over Witnesses at Legislative and Education Committee Audits
Policy Alternatives Preparation Remains Uncertain

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Although the election is over, the political sphere still cannot escape the election atmosphere. The National Assembly is on the verge of the National Assembly Inspection period, known as the "flower of the regular session," but it is only chasing the words and actions of the two figures, Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jae-myung.

Every office of lawmakers, whether on weekdays or holidays, working day and night preparing for the inspection, only talks about "where and how to dig deeper." The targets remain the president, the opposition leader, and their two spouses. Even the aides who entered the National Assembly to make good laws complain, "Now we want to dig into policies a bit."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Last year, ahead of the presidential election, the ruling and opposition parties waged a tedious offensive over Yoon Seok-yeol’s alleged "prosecutorial accusation manipulation" and Lee Jae-myung’s "Daejang-dong development scandal." This year, expectations were for a full-fledged policy inspection, but the situation is not much different from last year. The Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the Education Committee, and others are still competing today to summon related witnesses.

In this atmosphere, the parties involved in the offensive, the media highlighting it, and the citizens watching are all exhausted. Around the Chuseok holiday, citizens met at Seoul Station all expressed a wish for "cooperation." The public already knows that the National Assembly is losing its proper function.

National Assembly Building stock photo / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The National Assembly cannot break free from inertia. The cause lies in everyone being accustomed to the offensive battles and provocative agenda creation between the two major parties, which have continued since consecutive elections or even since the impeachment crisis. Although they verbally call for people’s livelihood, in reality, they are focused on special investigations and prosecutions. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, promised the public today in his keynote speech to pursue "politics that creates hope."

The National Assembly Inspection is an important occasion for the legislative branch to exercise checks and oversight over the executive branch. It has the responsibility to grasp the overall state of national affairs and propose policy alternatives. It goes beyond simply judging the faults of government agencies; it encompasses analyzing legal shortcomings and applying them to actual policy improvements. It is time to reconsider the National Assembly’s fundamental function once again.

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