(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Dec. 31)

Save the assembly

Many people began the year in high hopes of political stability and economic
advancement under a new government that replaced an extremely unpopular
administration. But the year is ending in widespread gloom and despair. At the
center of public frustration is our National Assembly.

Some of the ugliest scenes in the republic's legislative history were staged last
week, as ruling and opposition lawmakers physically clashed over the introduction
of law bills. Assemblymen and their assistants used all kinds of tools, including
a sledge hammer and an electric saw, to break into a committee chamber which was
locked from inside by ruling party members. Assembly employees sprayed chemicals
from fire extinguishers to disperse Assemblymen blocking the entrance to another
chamber. Scores of opposition members have forcibly occupied the speaker's
rostrum for days in an attempt to prevent the ruling party's action to pass their
bills. The world media splashed these "realities of Korean politics" across their
front pages and prime-time newscasts.
The 2009 national budget was barely passed, two weeks after the legal deadline,
without the presence of opposition parties, a usual practice in the Korean
legislature. Nearly 100 law bills have been submitted to the Assembly, many of
which are related to measures to tackle the globally worsening economy but the
parliamentary paralysis has continued over a number of controversial "social
reform bills," including those to change media ownership structures.
The current 18th National Assembly, which was elected in April, is certain to go
down in history as one of the republic's most unproductive legislatures. While
public protests against U.S. beef imports were sweeping Seoul and nightly
violence continued between demonstrators and riot police, our Assembly virtually
did nothing to resolve the issue through legislative action. Ratification of the
Korea-U.S. free trade agreement has been deterred by the main opposition party,
which was the ruling party when the crucial pact was signed in July 2007.
It is truly unfortunate that public trust in the legislature has declined since
the nation came out of the long tunnel of military dictatorships. Older
generations are nostalgic of the days when they looked up to the National
Assembly, where opposition representatives courageously resisted authoritarian
rulers and their accomplices against their repressive governance.
Some extreme actions were taken in their pro-democracy struggles in the
legislature, encouraged by the public. Democracy was restored as a result of
concerted efforts by civic groups, intellectuals, students, workers and
opposition politicians. Now all these segments of society are pursuing different
goals in their respective interests, but they too often resort to the extremist
mode of action they employed in their fight for democracy.
Certain impropriety may have been tolerated when it was used in a fight against a
greater evil. Yet our National Assemblymen seem to believe that they still enjoy
unlimited privileges even when elevated standards and norms are required for
political as well as social and economic spheres.
Everyone hopes that 2008 will be the last year they witness all those scenes of
"backwardness" in their legislature, although they know it is a barely attainable
dream. We should make efforts in both short and long terms. New laws and systems
should be introduced to tighten the legal screening for candidacy and to oust
erring, law-breaking members from the legislature. Such reformative moves can be
initiated if more conscientious representatives make a serious review of what
happened in 2008, which turned the clock back many years.
(END)