Speaker Kim Jin-pyo on the verge of 'political retirement'... Why his vigorous legislative activities?

Proposal for Relocation of Suwon Military Airport
Bill to Establish Advanced Industry on the Site Introduced
Also Proposals for Military Academy Act and Education-Related Laws to Foster Science and Technology

Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo is attracting attention for actively continuing his legislative activities. Typically, the Speaker of the National Assembly is the most senior politician who is about to retire from politics, and political convention requires 'political neutrality,' meaning they do not take the lead as the primary sponsor of bills. However, Speaker Kim is taking a different path from previous speakers by leading even controversial bills.

According to the National Assembly Bill Information System on the 17th, Speaker Kim recently submitted the “Special Act for the Relocation of Suwon Military Airport and the Construction of Gyeonggi Southern Integrated International Airport” and the “Special Act for the Creation and Promotion of an Advanced Research Industrial Complex” to the National Assembly.

One axis of the linked two bills centers on relocating Suwon Military Airport to the Hwaong District in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The newly established airport is also intended to serve as a complex airport handling not only military airport functions but also civilian, passenger, and logistics operations. The other axis of the bill involves utilizing the site vacated by the military airport relocation. It proposes developing the Suwon Military Airport area into an advanced research industrial complex to attract excellent domestic and international companies and talent. The plan is to create the so-called “K-Silicon Valley” on the Suwon Military Airport site, attracting world-class companies with cutting-edge technologies such as information and communication technology (ICT) and biotechnology.

Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo delivers a congratulatory speech at the 75th Constitution Day celebration held at the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 17th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

The political circles in Hwaseong, the area targeted for the military airport relocation, are strongly opposing the plan regardless of party lines. Even Song Ok-ju, a member of the Democratic Party, which is Speaker Kim’s home party, is scheduled to hold a press conference in the afternoon opposing the special military airport bill.

The National Assembly Speaker’s office explained that the background for Speaker Kim’s legislative initiative, despite expected opposition, is part of a patriotic mission ahead of his retirement from politics. A senior official from the Speaker’s office stated, “The Speaker is no longer running for election and would not have introduced the bill with regional interests in mind. This is not simply about relocating the airport and creating a K-Silicon Valley R&D special zone; it is a bill introduced at the level of the nation’s economic fate.” The official added that since the entire world is already engaged in a technological hegemony competition, securing cutting-edge semiconductor technology is critical to the national economy’s destiny, and thus an incubator capable of developing advanced technologies like the U.S. Silicon Valley is necessary.

The official further explained, “Our competitors are countries like Taiwan and Japan, which are competing to secure high-end technology and talent exiting China. We need better investment conditions than Taiwan or Japan. From the Speaker’s perspective, the state-owned land of Suwon Military Airport is like a blessing from the heavens.” The official continued, “We can attract 1,000 world-class advanced R&D facilities here with half-price land.”

Indeed, looking at the bills submitted by Speaker Kim during his tenure, there is a noticeable emphasis on science. Speaker Kim introduced the Local Education Finance Grant Act for student-tailored education using artificial intelligence technology and big data, as well as the Act on the Establishment of the Defense Advanced Science and Technology Academy. The latter is benchmarked on Israel’s Talpiot program for nurturing defense science and technology talent. It selects outstanding students with creativity as cadets, obligates them to serve for four years in defense research and development institutions, and supports entrepreneurship if they wish to be discharged afterward. The core idea is to strengthen national defense through enhanced defense technology while helping these talents promote industrial development through employment or startups.

The amendment to the Local Education Finance Grant Act proposes to allocate 1% of the local education finance grant resources as a special grant to strengthen AI-based teaching and learning capabilities of elementary and secondary school teachers and to be used exclusively for AI-tailored after-school programs. A Speaker’s office official explained, “Private education has long overshadowed public education, but by utilizing AI, we aim to innovate public education and enhance its competitiveness.” Additionally, Speaker Kim has introduced bills to strengthen the National Assembly’s budget review authority, the National Finance Act, and the National Assembly Act explicitly stipulating the election of the Speaker and standing committee chairs.

In response to criticism that bills proposed by past speakers during their tenure had low approval rates, a Speaker’s office official said, “This time will be different,” adding, “These bills were introduced with a sense of mission by Speaker Kim, who is thinking about the country’s future and is determined to give his all until the very end. Discussions with the government and others have also progressed significantly.” The official added, “Rather than introducing additional bills, Speaker Kim will focus on finalizing the bills already submitted.”

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