July 6 Legislative Report: Review of Rep. Park Young-ja’s Budget Scrutiny and Monitoring of Rebuilding Korea Party’s Education Policies

Budget Scrutiny, National Assembly Operations, and Current Status of Legislative Activities

Legislative activities centered on the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and the National Assembly Steering Committee have been actively unfolding throughout the latter half of the 21st National Assembly and the first half of the 22nd National Assembly. Rep. Park Young-ja of the Democratic Party of Korea, serving as a member of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, conducted a thorough review of detailed expenditure items during the government budget screening process. Rep. Cha Hyun-jin of the Rebuilding Korea Party also participated as a member of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts for the first half of the 22nd National Assembly, deeply involving himself in the review of the 2024 budget bill. The Special Committee on Budget and Accounts is a core body responsible for evaluating and controlling the efficient execution of national finances. Here, legislators assess the effectiveness of budget execution by each ministry and serve a watchdog role to ensure taxpayers' money is used in the right direction.

The smooth operation of the National Assembly schedule and the improvement of internal systems were also addressed as important agendas. Rep. Park Young-ja participated directly in the smooth operation of the Assembly schedule while serving as a member of the National Assembly Steering Committee during the latter half of the 21st National Assembly. Additionally, as a member of the National Assembly Library Operations Deliberation Committee, she continuously supervised improvements to the National Assembly's data management system and information provision services. These activities are significant as they lay the foundation for legislators to plan better policies by upgrading the legislative support infrastructure.

Monitoring of education sector budgets and policies is also prominent. During her activities with the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, Rep. Lee Seon of the Rebuilding Korea Party raised issues regarding budget allocation for specific organizations and the effectiveness of budget execution by government ministries, demanding clear answers from the government side. As a member of the Education Committee, she continued high-intensity questioning of the Ministry of Education regarding on-site issues such as the shortage of after-school care budgets and measures against school violence. Conversely, data analysis results revealed that the number of bills she proposed was among the lowest at zero, drawing criticism regarding the quantitative aspect of her legislative activities. Rep. Seo Hoon also attended National Assembly Steering Committee and Special Committee on Budget and Accounts meetings to closely scrutinize the status of government budget execution.

Legislative Analysis for Protecting Teachers' Rights and Enhancing Research Ethics

Recently, numerous bills have been proposed in the National Assembly to resolve conflicts in educational settings and simultaneously protect the rights of both students and teachers. Rep. Park Young-ja proposed a partial amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to harmonize the strengthening of teachers' rights with the guarantee of student human rights. This aims to establish precise legal boundaries to prevent the legitimate educational authority of teachers from being undermined in the educational field while ensuring that student human rights are not violated. Her co-sponsorship of a partial amendment to the Local Civil Servants Act to address grievances and improve welfare for local officials also draws attention.

The active legislative moves related to education by Rebuilding Korea Party lawmakers are also a significant point of analysis. Rep. Kim Min-kyung represented the partial amendments to the Framework Act on Education and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, pushing for the protection of student human rights and the improvement of school meal environments. In particular, she proposed an amendment to the Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures Against School Violence to strengthen the effectiveness of preventive education. Rep. Kim Young-soo, through a partial amendment to the Act on the Status and Service of Educational Officials, rolled up his sleeves to enhance health and welfare benefits and protect teachers' rights.

Rep. Cha Hyun-jin proposed a law on the promotion of research ethics and the prevention of misconduct to enhance researchers' ethical awareness and establish a basis for fact-finding surveys on unregistered research institutes. He also represented a bill regulating financial management for private school staff to improve transparency in university tuition fees and protect student rights. These education and research-related bills can be interpreted not merely as patching institutional loopholes but as policies aimed at long-term national human resource development and the normalization of public education.

The ruling party's stance surrounding the amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act was also at the center of heated public debate. Kim Seong-hoe, the floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, stated in a written briefing that the bill is a minimal defensive barrier to protect victims of fake news. He emphasized that it is a "pinpoint" regulation applied restrictively only when all three strict requirements—malicious intent, unjust profit, and clear infringement of legal interests—are confirmed, dismissing concerns about the shrinking freedom of expression.

Deviations in Assembly Voting and Outlook for Future Legislative Environment

The recent intra-party dissenting votes during plenary voting processes show subtle cracks in the political landscape. During the alternative vote on the partial amendment to the Korea Rural Community Corporation and Farmland Management Fund Act, processed on June 18, 2026, 10 lawmakers from the People Power Party cast opposing votes against the party line. The dissenting votes, involving lawmakers such as Park Soo-young, Lee Cheol-kyu, Seong Il-jong, Yoon Han-hong, Park Dae-chul, Kim Do-eup, Kang Min-kook, and Kang Sun-young, suggest that internal disagreements regarding agricultural and farmland policy directions have surfaced.

A similar pattern was repeated in the vote on the partial amendment to the Framework Act on Resource Circulation. Eight People Power Party lawmakers, including Lee Cheol-kyu, Kim Seung-soo, Park Soo-young, Kim Eun-hye, Shin Dong-wook, Kim Mi-ae, Yoo Sang-beom, and Kang Seung-kyu, voted against the bill. This series of deviations from the party line is analyzed as a result of reflecting specific constituency interests or differing stances on environmental regulations. It indicates that a political environment is forming where it is difficult to gather all bills under a single party line.

The diversified movements within the legislature are expected to act as significant variables in the passage process of major economic and social bills moving forward. For bills where interests clash sharply, such as the Information and Communications Network Act amendment or the National Intelligence Service Act amendment, the dual objectives of accommodating platform regulatory capacity and guaranteeing citizens' rights must be achieved. Particularly, as debates over freedom of expression continue, criticisms that the decision-making authority of an organization under the Korea Communications Commission may be unconstitutional highlight that securing legal stability is a prerequisite.

Budget scrutiny and the function to check government ministries are also expected to be continuously strengthened. The National Assembly Political Affairs Committee's move to push for a state affairs audit and hearings targeting MBK Partners and Meritz Financial Group regarding the Homeplus incident represents the legislature's proactive response to prevent moral hazard among corporations. Thus, the close monitoring by the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and various standing committees, along with the reflection of diverse voices within the party, will serve as key control mechanisms to protect citizens' taxes and rights.