[Reporter’s Notebook] 100 Plenary Agenda Items, Rushed Through Like Overdue Homework

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"I'll finish quickly..."

On April 23, during a plenary session of the National Assembly, Assemblyman Moon Geumju of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was representing the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee to deliver explanations for ten bills, made this remark as he watched fellow lawmakers leaving their seats. Anticipating that it would take considerable time for the contents of the bills to be introduced, other lawmakers seemed to be tending to personal matters such as making phone calls. Assemblyman Moon, emphasizing that it would be brief, tried to bring them back so they would not miss the voting opportunity.

In fact, Assemblyman Moon's explanation was surprisingly concise. After listing the titles of the ten bills, he simply said, "Please refer to the meeting records on your devices for further details." The explanation took about one minute and thirty seconds. This approach is common for other lawmakers when presenting bills as well.

There was a clear atmosphere of wanting to "get it over with quickly" regarding the review of the bills. Remarks such as "There’s not much left now" and "This is really the last one" were heard. For example, Assemblyman Yeom Taeyoung of the Democratic Party provided a detailed introduction to the content and significance of the Special Act on Charter Fraud during his explanation to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee. However, for the remaining six bills, he simply called out the names of the sponsoring lawmakers and said, "They're displayed on the electronic board," before moving on.

Article 93 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that when the plenary session deliberates on an agenda item, the chair must present a review report. In a National Assembly that operates on a standing committee-centered system, this is intended to explain the contents of the bills to lawmakers from other committees ahead of the plenary vote. With more than 100 items on the agenda, especially when they are non-contentious, it is nearly impossible to understand the details of each bill without additional study time. For this reason, procedures for questions and debates regarding the review report have been established.

During the process of handling bills in the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, there were also requests for debate. Assemblyman Cha Kyugeun of the Rebuilding Korea Party raised doubts about the effectiveness of forest roads in responding to large-scale wildfires while discussing the "Act on the Installation and Management of Forest Roads." As a member of the National Assembly Special Committee on Wildfire Damage Support, Assemblyman Cha introduced expert debates surrounding forest roads and expressed skepticism, asking, "Is it appropriate to push for forest roads with an enactment bill without a serious public discussion?" This is something that would have remained unknown had the explanation simply consisted of listing bill names.

Legislation is the process of establishing the discipline and foundation of society. It is about setting standards amid various interpretations surrounding different interests and values. However, the plenary session process is often treated as a mere formality. On the assumption that sufficient discussion took place at the standing committee level, plenary votes are regarded as naturally omitting in-depth debate. Lawmakers behave as if they were students waiting for class to end. If legislation is made in this manner, the meaning of electing 300 representatives inevitably becomes diminished.

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