"Feel Free to Copy"... The Last Bills Proposed in the 21st National Assembly

"I left the bill so that someone can refer to it later. As long as our country does not collapse, the Legislative Information System, where the bill is stored, will remain, so if someone else copies it, I hope the awareness of the issues and solutions considered in this law will be conveyed."

On the 29th, the last day of the 21st National Assembly, Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, explained the reason for proposing the 'Electronic Human Rights Bill' (proposed on the 27th), even though it was obvious it would be discarded. The bill centers on including AI as a subject of rights, obligations, and exercise, alongside natural persons and corporations, as defined by existing laws, in the era where autonomous judgment by artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming possible. It contains provisions that clearly distinguish whether the user or the creator should be held responsible when damage occurs due to AI. Kim predicted, "As interest in AI and related matters grows, it will become a campaign promise in the 22nd National Assembly or the presidential election."

On the 29th, the last day of the 21st National Assembly's term, a banner congratulating the opening of the 22nd National Assembly is hung at the main building of the National Assembly. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

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Kim is not the only lawmaker who submitted a bill at the end of the 21st National Assembly despite having no expectation of even being referred to the relevant standing committee. Lee Tan-hee, a Democratic Party member who declared he would not run again while advocating for electoral reform, proposed amendments to the Court Organization Act on the 23rd, which prohibit appointing judges to the Court Administration Office except for the Chief Justice, who is a Supreme Court justice. This aims to prevent the Court Administration Office from influencing trials and to secure the independence of the judiciary.

Jang Hye-young, a member of the Justice Party, showed legislative enthusiasm until the end by proposing six bills, including amendments to the Framework Act on National Taxes, after the 20th. Among them are provisions banning subcommittees where no stenographic records are kept during tax law review processes, and amendments to the Act on the Management of Public Institutions that transfer responsibility for managing public institutions from the Ministry of Economy and Finance to the Prime Minister. Jang explained, "I persuaded several lawmakers to propose these bills to let people know that we tried to create such laws."

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