Constitutional Court Judges Face Personnel Hearing

The National Assembly passed through 53 bills on June 29 including a revised bill to hold the National Assembly’s personnel hearing of all nine judges of the Constitutional Court.

The main idea of the passed social protection law is the discontinuation of prophylactic detentions that keep ex-convicts in isolation. The National Assembly also passed through a revised bill for the Prevention of Corruption Act to rename the Regulatory Reform Committee and the Korea Independent Commission against Corruption as a committee for national transparency.

However, the revised bill regarding the exit and entry of overseas Koreans and their status was rejected by a vote of 104 to 60. Of the total vote count of 232, 68 members cast a blank ballot. The bill contains a regulation to rescind the status of overseas Koreans if they give up their nationality in order to avoid serving in the military before the passage of the law that bans Korean men from doing so.

Meanwhile, the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly held a general meeting on the same day and consulted on a revised bill regarding the real estate brokerage business which allows licensed real estate agents the right of representation to bid for the real estate auction and public sale. The right is currently allowed for lawyers and judicial scriveners only.

This bill also includes the regulation that makes it mandatory for real estate agents and traders to report the actual trade price to the local government body.

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com