[The Editors' Verdict]16,000 Bills Lie Dormant in the National Assembly

"The mandatory residency requirement for purchased apartments will be lifted."

This is the reaction to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's announcement of the 2023 work plan on January 3rd. The real estate market inevitably stirred. If the mandatory residency requirement is abolished, buyers do not have to move into the apartment immediately after purchase. If they rent it out to tenants under a jeonse lease, their financial burden could be eased. This opens an attractive option for those looking to buy a home.

However, even after half a year, the abolition of the mandatory residency requirement has not been realized. Since the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee’s bill review subcommittee on May 30th, there has been no news of discussions in the National Assembly. This is a shocking situation for those who planned their finances based on the government’s announcement.

More importantly, the bill itself may end up being nullified. The 21st National Assembly’s term expires on May 29th next year. Any bill that does not pass the plenary session by then will be automatically discarded. Is the bill to abolish the mandatory residency requirement the only one sleeping, tied up in the National Assembly?

According to the National Assembly’s bill information system, as of the 4th, there are 15,913 bills pending in the National Assembly. The Public Administration and Security Committee has 2,240 bills, the Health and Welfare Committee has 1,728, and the Environment and Labor Committee has 1,392 bills pending. Countless bills, whose discussion status is unknown, continue to pile up even now.

When incidents that attract public attention occur, such as the LH apartment rebar omission or the Osong underground overpass tragedy, lawmakers competitively propose related bills. Although they accumulate steadily, nearly 16,000 bills remain unprocessed. Can the National Assembly clear this backlog of homework?

The traffic lights in front of the National Assembly building are all showing red./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The 8th marks Ipchu (立秋), the beginning of autumn according to the solar terms. Politics also has its seasons. The regular session of the National Assembly starting on September 1st is the ‘autumn harvest’ period. It is an important time to finalize the new year’s budget and major legislative tasks.

Looking at this year’s political situation, worries outweigh expectations. It seems as if the grave reality of the 21st and final regular session is forgotten. By next spring, members may have to remove their badges, but there is neither determination nor urgency to finish well.

Rather than focusing on their primary legislative duties, lawmakers’ attention is fixed on the 22nd general election on April 10th next year. They are so alert to political maneuvering around their nominations that bill processing is neglected. Passing bills with divided opinions requires efforts to persuade the opposing side, but in reality, they have let go of such efforts.

The word ‘cooperation’ has already become a forgotten term in Yeouido’s political circles. Politics is said to be the art of dialogue and compromise, but the reality is bleak. Even amid the steep confrontation lines in the political situation, efforts to find common ground behind the scenes must continue to expand points of agreement. Are the ruling and opposition party leaders making such efforts? There is no sense of mission to resolve pressing livelihood issues in this regular session.

If a lawmaker does not understand why their status is guaranteed by law and why the national budget funded by taxpayers supports them, they do not deserve to wear the badge. Why are lawmakers called walking constitutional institutions? Why are they called representatives of the people? If they reflect on their reason for existence, they will find the answer to what must be done in the upcoming ‘season of politics.’

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