Legislative Report, June 23: 22nd National Assembly's Economic Recovery Bill Discussions Gain Momentum

22nd National Assembly Accelerates Discussions on Bills for Livelihood Economy Recovery and Speculation Prevention

With the opening of the 22nd National Assembly, discussions are expected to intensify on legislation aimed at recovering the people's economy, stabilizing the real estate market, and preventing speculation, spearheaded by the Democratic Party of Korea and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party. Notably, Assemblyman Oh Geon-ho (Democratic Party of Korea) is preparing to introduce bills to stabilize the real estate market and prevent speculation, while also leading internal discussions on economic agendas as an economic expert for the Cho Kuk Innovation Party. This indicates a strengthening of policy efforts to address recent real estate market instability and revitalize the economy for ordinary citizens.

This movement shares parallels with the experience of former UK Prime Minister Theresa May (Conservative Party), who holds the record for the longest tenure as Home Secretary in the 21st century. During her premiership, Theresa May directed policy formulation to address "burning injustices" and reviewed legislation focused on resolving social inequality. Her experience, particularly in spearheading the passage of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which strengthened the legal framework to eradicate human trafficking crimes in the UK, demonstrates the importance of concrete legislative action in resolving current issues.

Assemblyman Jeong Won-ju (Cho Kuk Innovation Party) is also actively engaged in efforts to recover the people's economy. Since the opening of the Assembly, he has participated in briefings and forums related to key issues, seeking ways to stimulate the livelihood economy. Furthermore, he is vocal about strengthening the fairness of the judicial system by proposing measures to improve the process for activating constitutional appeals against unconstitutional laws. His plan to propose legislation reinforcing citizens' right to object to prosecutorial non-prosecution decisions highlights a commitment to substantive institutional improvements for protecting public rights.

National Assembly Operations and Key Bill Discussion Trends

Meanwhile, the 22nd National Assembly is facing initial operational difficulties due to ongoing inter-party conflict over the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee during the negotiation process for forming the parliamentary leadership. Speaker Cho Jeong-sik has urged the submission of standing committee member lists by noon on the 24th, clarifying that if an agreement is not reached by the deadline, the Speaker can directly appoint standing committee members according to the National Assembly Act. This is interpreted as an unavoidable measure to enhance operational efficiency and bring legislative activities back on track. As the ruling and opposition parties continue their intense tug-of-war over the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship, the review of several sensitive bills is likely to be delayed.

The intensifying discussions on follow-up legislation ahead of the planned abolition of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office are particularly noteworthy. With the Supreme Prosecutors' Office set to be abolished on October 2nd, and the Public Prosecutors' Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) slated to be launched, the start date remains uncertain due to the unresolved amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act. The core issue in the amendments is whether to grant supplementary investigation rights to prosecutors at the Public Prosecutors' Office, with various options such as complete abolition, recognition of investigation requests only, or limited permission being reportedly considered. The Cho Kuk Innovation Party is increasing pressure for the speed of reform, advocating for the passage of prosecutorial reform bills before Liberation Day. This is considered a critical legislative task, given the significant impact the success of prosecutorial reform will have on the overall law enforcement system of our society.

In addition, Assemblyman Han Dong-hoon (Independent) has introduced his first bill since entering the Assembly, the "Election Management Committee Oversight Act," garnering support from 31 lawmakers from the People Power Party. This bill aims to strengthen the independence and accountability of the National Election Commission by including it and its regional committees under the Auditor General's oversight. Han's side describes it as a "law that adds responsibility to independence," and it is analyzed as an attempt to restore public trust in the fairness of the election commission.

Discussions on Legislation for Child Rights Protection Amid Digital Environment Changes

Meanwhile, the urgent need to establish legal responses to the rapidly changing digital environment is emerging as a pressing issue. Childfund Korea is scheduled to host a forum at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on July 1st, themed "Children and Youth Rights in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Environment." The forum aims to explore practical measures to protect the rights of children and adolescents from infringement within new technological environments such as deepfakes and AI chatbots. The U.S. House of Representatives has already reached bipartisan agreement on regulating youth social media use, and moves to hold Big Tech companies like Meta and YouTube accountable are accelerating.

These discussions reflect a growing recognition that the potential risks posed by AI technological advancements to children's privacy, portrait rights, and mental health cannot be overlooked. The National Assembly needs to establish child protection-related laws that keep pace with these new technologies, and proactive policy formulation should be undertaken with reference to global trends. In particular, discussions are needed on various aspects such as children's access to information, exposure to harmful online content, and bridging the digital divide.

Normalization of National Assembly Operations and Future Outlook

Voices calling for the 22nd National Assembly to normalize its operations swiftly, overcoming the difficulties in forming parliamentary leadership, are growing. Minister of Economy and Finance Park Hong-geun stated that the ministry will consider the National Assembly's opinions during budget formulation in response to floor leader Jeong Jeong-sik's request for "fair budget allocation." This suggests the necessity of close communication and cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties during the budget review process. Following Speaker Cho Jeong-sik's strong declaration of intent, the formation of parliamentary leadership is expected to conclude soon, which is anticipated to open the floodgates for processing the backlog of livelihood bills.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, hosted a luncheon for the spouses of the 22nd National Assembly members at Cheong Wa Dae, fostering communication and offering encouragement. This event was an occasion to express gratitude for the spouses' support, enabling the assembly members to focus on their legislative duties, and is expected to contribute to creating an atmosphere conducive to smooth legislative activities moving forward. Localized policy proposals, such as "Proposals for the Stable Settlement of Integrated Care in Dalseong County," are also noteworthy. Assemblyman Park Ju-yong (Cho Kuk Innovation Party) has proposed measures for the stable settlement of regional integrated care systems, demonstrating parliamentary efforts to solve specific community problems.

In conclusion, the 22nd National Assembly has convened with critical legislative tasks ahead in various fields, including real estate market stabilization, prosecutorial reform, and adapting to the changing digital environment. Once the parliamentary leadership negotiations are completed and the Assembly normalizes, discussions are expected to proceed centered around bills proposed by Assemblymen Oh Geon-ho, Jeong Won-ju, and Han Dong-hoon, among others. These legislative trends are projected to have a significant impact on the domestic economy and society as a whole, requiring continuous attention and analysis. In particular, in-depth reviews of the specific content of each bill and their anticipated ripple effects will be necessary.