July 22 Legislative Report: Settlement of National Assembly Leadership, Revision of Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and Calls to Criticize Low Birth Rate Countermeasures

Conclusion of 52-Day Stalemate on National Assembly Leadership and the Education Committee’s Actions

52 days after the start of the second half of the 22nd National Assembly, the parliamentary leadership structure was finalized through an inter-party agreement, allowing the National Assembly to enter a phase of normalization. This came as the People Power Party withdrew its boycott of the election for standing committee chairmen after agreeing to process a special counsel bill to investigate the shortage of ballots at the National Election Commission. Consequently, numerous bills that had remained in the realm of public debate are expected to move into the full-fledged review stage. In particular, education and welfare-related bills recently proposed by lawmakers active in the Education Committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts have emerged as new legislative trends.

People Power Party Rep. Lee Eun-kwon, serving on the Education Committee, jointly proposed a partial amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to prevent school violence and enhance student safety. The core of the bill lies in tightening disciplinary measures against offending students and solidifying safety nets for victims. This legislative attempt is interpreted as an effort to proactively block violent accidents in educational settings and establish a disciplinary system with tangible effects. Simultaneously, through Education Committee meetings, Rep. Lee strongly criticized the mishandling of the Ministry of Education’s special activity expenses. He called for thorough audits and institutional improvements to prevent state-funded budgets from being wasted without tangible results.

Criticism of Government Low Birth Rate Measures and Legislation to Alleviate Administrative Burden on Education

Rep. Lee Eun-kwon also spared no criticism of the current government’s low birth rate countermeasures. He criticized the policy direction, which focuses on simple cash handouts such as the full expansion of child allowances, arguing that a new fundamental design for education is necessary to solve the root problem of population decline. He pointed out that systematic expansion of educational infrastructure must accompany short-term childcare support. In this context, he is presenting alternatives that urge structural restructuring of the education sector and efficient budget allocation, moving to correct the direction of policy.

Legislative initiatives to reduce administrative tasks for teachers and establish educational authority are also notable. Rep. Lee Eun-mi of the Rebuilding Korea Party represented a proposal to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, pushing to simplify the items recorded in student life records. The aim is to significantly alleviate the administrative burden teachers face due to writing these records, creating an environment where they can focus on their primary educational duties. She also advocated for amendments to the Teacher Status Act to clearly guarantee the return of current teachers to the classroom and revise disciplinary standards transparently. Rep. Lee is accelerating legislation for on-site education improvements by participating in the Education Committee’s Bill Review Subcommittee.

Also, Rep. Choi Bong of the same party, as a member of the Education Committee, jointly proposed a partial amendment to the Special Education Act for the Disabled, etc., extending support to educationally marginalized groups. This measure aims to resolve educational polarization by easing the learning burden of special education students and guaranteeing their substantive right to education. Rep. Choi had previously raised sharp questions regarding the controversy over difficulty adjustment during the 2024 parliamentary inspection. Additionally, he is actively engaging in legislative activities in political reform, representing a proposal to amend the Public Official Election Act to restrict the eligibility of those sentenced to prison terms or heavier for violations of political laws.

Strengthening Broadcasting and Security Vetting and Implications of Intra-Party Defections in Votes

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Jeong Ba-se is conducting extensive legislative activities as a member of the National Assembly’s Operating Committee, the Special Committee on Political Reform, and the Education Committee. In particular, during parliamentary inspections and audits, he aggressively pursued the issue of bias in public broadcasting against the Korea Communications Commission and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Emphasizing thorough vetting from the perspective of future media regarding the Facebook activities and press controversies of KCC Chair nominee Lee Jin-suk, he is placing weight on the review of media-related bills. He is also participating in legislation aimed at innovating his party’s decision-making bodies and reforming power institutions, attempting to improve the political landscape.

The internal division within the ruling party, revealed during the National Assembly’s voting process, is another major point of analysis. During the alternative vote on the Korea Rural Community Corporation and Farmland Management Fund Act processed on June 18, 10 lawmakers from the People Power Party broke party lines and voted against it. The defection votes from Kim Do-eup, Park Dae-chul, Park Su-young, Seong Il-jong, Yoon Han-hong, Lee Chul-kyu, Jang Gyeom, and Kang Min-kook suggest that internal disagreements over agricultural policy have surfaced. In the vote on the amendment to the Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources, eight members—including Kim Seung-soo, Kim Eun-hye, Park Su-young, Shin Dong-wook, Yoo Sang-beom, and Kang Seung-kyu—also broke ranks. This is interpreted as stemming from dissatisfaction reflecting regional realities and industry circumstances regarding strengthened environmental regulations. Such phenomena of voting against the party line are likely to act as variables in the passage of major bills in the National Assembly moving forward.

These multifaceted trends in the legislature are exerting a broad influence, ranging from education policy formulation to the overhaul of judicial and administrative systems. The revision of the School Violence Act and the simplification of student records are expected to be significant changes that could reshape the education landscape as early as next year. Calls for thorough vetting regarding public broadcasting appointments are also likely to serve as a momentum for revising the institutional framework surrounding media intermediaries. As the National Assembly normalizes and full-fledged bill processing proceeds, these policy changes will likely be quickly absorbed into the daily lives of the people and the overall industrial ecosystem. Therefore, this is a critical moment requiring efforts to closely track the tangible market and social ripple effects of specific bills.