Assembly Committee Chairs Announced

A group of chairs were selected to lead 19 standing and special committees in the second half of the 17th National Assembly. The selection was completed 20 days after the legal deadline (May 29) with a delay due to the May 31 local elections.

The Newly-Elected Have Increased –

Nine committee chairs, including the steering committee chair, are from the ruling Uri Party, and eight chairs are from the Grand National Party (GNP). The Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and the Special Committee on Ethics will be chaired by Uri members.

Ten selected chairs, more than half, are three-time elected lawmakers, seven are re-elected, and two are newly elected. Compared to the first half of the 17th National Assembly with two four-time electees, 15 three-time electees, one re-electee and one new electee, the average number of veteran lawmakers named to committees was considerably lowered.

Three women were elected, but only one female lawmaker was elected in general standing committees as chair of the Culture & Tourism Committee, not including chairs for the Gender Equality & Family Committee and the Special Committee on Ethics, which are concurrent positions.

Fierce Competition over Positions –

Uri and GNP lawmakers fiercely competed over chair positions assigned for each party. The internal competition among Uri members was very intense over the positions of chair for the Culture & Tourism Committee, the National Defense Committee, and Unification, Foreign Affairs & Trade Committee.

In the GNP, there was even an internal election for the chairs of the Finance & Economy Committee and of the Gender Equality & Family Committee. Chung Ui-hwa and Moon Hee were elected for these positions.

Lawmakers compete over these chair positions because of high power as well as honor that come with the positions. The committee chairs run the standing committees, which have the right to review budgets for ministries and offices in charge. They also have the voting right for related laws before the plenary session. Thus, they become targets of interested groups’ lobbies.

In addition, the chairs receive about 10 million won more a month in the name of monthly allowances for position support, the post attached, activities, vehicle maintenance, and so forth.

Legislation-Judiciary Committee Avoided –

Both parties had a hard time forming the Legislation-Judiciary Committee, known for its heavy duties. The situation was aggravated as lawmakers who are lawyers avoided being assigned to the committee after a rule to forbid the members of the committee to work as lawyers was passed last year.

Uri lawmakers who did not work for the committee in the first half of the National Assembly were assigned the positions “by force” after the floor leaders made efforts to persuade lawmakers who are lawyers through several meetings. Thus, most of the Committee members were selected not “voluntarily” but “by nomination.” A lawmaker said, “We managed to select people, but the selected then avoided taking the position of an organizer.”

The situation with the GNP was not much better. Na Kyeong-won, who was assigned to the committee, said, “I hoped to be assigned in other standing committees but had to accept the position as the floor leaders tried to persuade me that they needed lawmakers who are lawyers.”

Yong-Gwan Jung In-Jik Cho yongari@donga.com cij1999@donga.com