To Enhance the Standing of the National Assembly

Public opinion of the National Assembly is quite low. People typically think of negative words such as “verbal abuse,” “corruption,” and “violence.” It also brings to mind words suited to those who are socially condemned. Not only is its image bad, but its performance is poor as well. In fact, its misguided legislative activity is dampening the vitality of the economy to a worrying degree. The time has come to find a way to restore the standing of the National Assembly and ensure that its members engage in politics that earns the public’s trust.

The 21st National Assembly was in disarray from the very beginning. It created an electoral system called the “semi-linked proportional representation system,” which led to the emergence of satellite parties rarely found in any advanced democracy. This exposed a level of politics that was embarrassing to behold. In particular, the quality of the lawmakers themselves was questionable. Representative Kim Nam-guk’s “coin gate” was astonishing. It was shocking to see a member of the National Assembly looking at cryptocurrency during a standing committee meeting.

The National Assembly caused division and confusion in our society by recklessly pushing legislation that ran counter to the principles of the market economy. A representative example of such bad legislation was the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. It tied the hands of businesspeople, paralyzing management in the field and dealing a major blow to our economy. This was the result of a law designed not to reduce serious accidents, but to focus on punishing business owners. If a serious industrial accident occurs within a company, the responsible party may face at least one year in prison or a fine of up to 1 billion won, effectively paralyzing the business management environment.

The Yellow Envelope Act (Revised Labor Commission Act) was another case the National Assembly pushed through even though it is a dangerous law that shakes the foundations of our country. Because it limits claims for damages and provisional seizure in relation to labor disputes, it was a harmful law that made it impossible to hold unions accountable even if they engaged in endless struggle. Fortunately, the president exercised a veto, but it was still a wrong example of the National Assembly accepting misguided demands from organized labor. If companies cannot receive compensation even when their property suffers damage, the capitalist system cannot function properly.

Our country has achieved economic growth and enjoyed prosperity under a capitalist economic system. The more legislation incorporates socialist policies into our institutions, the more social dynamism declines and economic prosperity disappears. In the end, the people lose their economic freedom.

The 22nd National Assembly must contribute to improving people’s lives through sound legislation. It must move away from politics that serves its own factions or works for labor unions. Unlike those in advanced countries, Korea’s labor unions make political struggle their objective, so the more privileges they are given, the harder workers’ lives become and the more good jobs disappear.

We should reflect on how repeated legislation expanding union privileges in the 21st National Assembly has reduced our society to a country for labor unions. The 22nd National Assembly must improve its legislative activity so that our country can rise again as a society where people can work in favorable conditions.

Now the National Assembly must move toward legislation that expands individual freedom and freedom of choice. It must enhance social dynamism by eliminating group privileges. We need advanced politics grounded in the principles of the market economy so that growth can be achieved and the people can enjoy prosperity. I hope the politicians serving in the 22nd National Assembly will hold the right values and contribute to the nation.

Sung-no Choi, President of the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE)

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Original title: 국회 위상 높이려면

Author: Sung-no Choi

Date: 2024-03-25

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=press&idx=26534