Lawmakers travel abroad with less than a month left in office

Despite the imminent end of the 21st National Assembly term, several legislators are utilizing taxpayers' funds abroad for diplomatic missions or research purposes. Notably, many of these lawmakers faced defeat or failed nomination in the recent general election. This trend raises concerns about the legitimacy and effectiveness of such trips, especially when they may not translate into tangible policy outcomes.

Six lawmakers, including former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok, have departed for Japan and Uzbekistan on Saturday for parliamentary diplomacy purposes. Similarly, Joo Ho-young, chairman of the People Power Party's Pension Special Committee, along with representatives from both ruling and opposition parties, is set to visit European countries such as the U.K. and Sweden from Wednesday onwards. Their purported aim is to assess Europe's pension system, but skepticism remains regarding the impact of their expeditions, particularly given the limited time remaining in their terms.

Furthermore, the upcoming visit to Tanzania by three representatives, including New Future Rep. Seol Hoon and People Power Party Rep. Lee Heon-seung, under the guise of enhancing Korea-Africa healthcare official development assistance (ODA) projects, raises eyebrows. With two of them being unsuccessful candidates, doubts linger regarding the practical implications of their trip on policymaking.

Past instances, such as the overseas excursion of five lawmakers from the Strategy and Finance Committee to Europe last year, yielded minimal results, with no substantial progress reported in subsequent discussions. The exorbitant cost of these trips, totaling 17.39 billion won for 219 outings as of September last year, averaging 79.44 million won per trip, underscores the need for more stringent oversight and accountability measures.

As the 21st National Assembly term draws to a close, the proliferation of overseas business trips, particularly involving unsuccessful candidates, demands scrutiny. Such practices should not be accepted merely as routine affairs but require robust regulations and oversight mechanisms to ensure accountability and transparency. The forthcoming 22nd National Assembly must prioritize establishing stringent standards to govern and monitor lawmakers' overseas engagements, aligning with public expectations and fiscal prudence.