National Assembly of South Korea

National Assembly of South Korea
Hangul	국회
Hanja	國會
Revised Romanization	Gukhoe
McCune–Reischauer	Kukhoe

National Assembly
National Assembly; 국회; 國會; Gukhoe
	19th National Assembly
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Kang Chang-hee, NFP; Since 3 July 2012
Vice Speaker	Lee Byung-suk, NFP; Since 3 July 2012
Vice Speaker	Park Byeong-seug, DP; Since 3 July 2012
Structure
Seats	300
Political groups	Saenuri (154); Democratic (127); Unified Progressive (6); Progressive Justice (5); Independents (8)
Elections
Voting system	Parallel voting:; First-past-the-post (single member constituencies); Party-list proportional representation (national lists)
Last election	11 April 2012
Meeting place
	National Assembly Building, Seoul (37°31′55.21″N 126°54′50.66″E / 37.5320028°N 126.9140722°E)
Website
	korea.na.go.kr

The National Assembly (Korean: 국회, Gukhoe, hanja: 國會) is the 300-member¹ unicameral legislature of South Korea. The latest legislative elections were held on 11 April 2012. Single-member constituencies comprise 246 of the assembly's seats, while the remaining 54 are allocated by proportional representation.² Members serve four-year terms.

The unicameral assembly consists of at least 200 members according to the Constitution. In 1990 the assembly had 299 seats, 224 of which were directly elected from single-member districts in the general elections of April 1988. Under applicable laws, the remaining seventy-five representatives were appointed by the political parties in accordance with a proportional formula based on the number of seats won in the election. By law, candidates for election to the assembly must be at least thirty years of age. As part of a political compromise in 1987, an earlier requirement that candidates have at least five years' continuous residency in the country was dropped to allow Kim Dae-jung, who had spent several years in exile in Japan and the United States during the 1980s, to return to political life. The National Assembly's term is four years. In a change from the more authoritarian Fourth Republic and Fifth Republic (1972–80 and 1980–87, respectively), under the Sixth Republic, the assembly cannot be dissolved by the president.

Current composition

Parties in the **19th Assembly of South Korea**
(as of 17 May 2013)
Group	Floor leader	Seats		%
Saenuri Party	Choi Gyeong-hwan	154	(+2)	51.33
Democratic Party	Jeon Byeong-heon	127	(+0)	42.33
Unified Progressive Party	Oh Byeong-yun	6	(-7)	2
Progressive Justice Party	vacant	5	(+5)	1.67
Independents		8	(+5)	2.67
Total		300		100.0
Note: Negotiation groups can be formed by 20 or more members. There are currently 2 negotiation groups in the Assembly, formed by Saenuri Party and Democratic United Party. Kang Chang-hee was elected as Speaker on July 2. After his election, Kang gave up his Saenuri Party membership under the National Assembly Act, and the ruling party now occupies 152 out of the 300 seats in the legislature. Of the 283 lawmakers who participated in the election, in which Kang was the sole candidate, 195 voted for him.³ Change in seat number since last election noted in brackets.

Structure and appointment

Speaker

The constitution stipulates that the assembly is presided over by a Speaker and two Deputy Speakers,⁴ who are responsible for expediting the legislative process. The Speaker and Deputy Speakers are elected in a secret ballot by the members of the Assembly, and their term in office is restricted to two years.⁵ The Speaker is independent of party affiliation, and the Speaker and Deputy Speakers may not simultaneously be government ministers.⁵

Negotiation groups

Parties that hold at least 20 seats in the assembly form floor negotiation groups (Korean: 교섭단체, RR: gyoseop danche), which are entitled to a variety of rights that are denied to smaller parties. These include a greater amount of state funding and participation in the leaders' summits that determine the assembly's legislative agenda.⁶

Legislative process

To introduce a bill, a legislator must present the initiative to the Speaker with the signatures of at least ten other members of the assembly. The bill must then be edited by a committee to ensure that the bill contains correct and systematic language. It can then be approved or rejected by the Assembly.⁷

Election

Reform proposals

A proposal to lower the number of seats required to form a negotiation group to 15 was passed on 24 July 2000, but was overturned by the Constitutional Court later that month.¹⁰ In order to meet the quorum, the United Liberal Democrats, who then held 17 seats, arranged to "rent" three legislators from the Millennium Democratic Party. The legislators returned to the MDP after the collapse of the ULD–MDP coalition in September 2001.¹¹

Legislative violence

From 2004 to 2009, the assembly gained notoriety as a frequent site for legislative violence.¹² The Assembly first came to the world's attention during a violent dispute on impeachment proceedings for then President Roh Moo-hyun,¹³¹⁴ when open physical combat took place in the assembly. Since then, it has been interrupted by periodic conflagrations, piquing the world's curiosity once again in 2009 when members battled each other with sledgehammers and fire extinguishers.¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸ Images of the melee were broadcast around the world.

History

South Korean National Assembly in the 1980s

First Republic

Second Republic

Third Republic

Fourth Republic

Fifth Republic

Sixth Republic

Members

References

U.S. Library of Congress Country Studies

^ Article 21, Clause 1 of the Election Law
^ Kim, Tae-jong. "A Look at Election Through Numbers," Korea Times, 9 April 2008; retrieved 2013-4-2.
^ Ser, Myo-ja (03 July 2012). "Lee gives low-key speech at Assembly opening". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
^ Article 48 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.
^ ^a ^b Park, Young-Do (2010). "Kapitel 2: Verfassungsrecht". Einführung in das koreanische Recht Introduction to Korean Law (in German). Springer. p. 25. ISBN 9783642116032.
^ Youngmi Kim (2011). The Politics of Coalition in South Korea. Taylor & Francis, p. 65.
^ Park 2010, p. 27.
^ Aurel Croissant, "Electoral Politics of South Korea", in Croissant et al. (2002) Electoral Politics in Southeast and East Asia. Friedrich Ebert Foundation, p. 257.
^ Croissant, p. 257.
^ Y. Kim, p. 68.
^ Y. Kim, pp. 68–9.
^ World's Most Unruly Parliaments
^ South Korean President Impeached
^ Impeachment battle
^ Democracy, South Korean-style: MPs blasted with fire extinguishers after trying to break into Parliament with hoses and sledgehammers
^ South Korea lawmakers: Reaching across the aisle with a sledgehammer
^ South Korean politicians use fire extinguishers against opposition
^ Hall of Violence
^ Setting the Stage
^ ICL – South Korea Index

[1] Article 21, Clause 1 of the Election Law

[2] Kim, Tae-jong. "A Look at Election Through Numbers," Korea Times, 9 April 2008; retrieved 2013-4-2.

[Martin_Gurin-3] Ser, Myo-ja (03 July 2012). "Lee gives low-key speech at Assembly opening". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 14 July 2012.

[4] Article 48 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.

[Park_Recht-5] Park, Young-Do (2010). "Kapitel 2: Verfassungsrecht". Einführung in das koreanische Recht Introduction to Korean Law (in German). Springer. p. 25. ISBN 9783642116032.

[6] Youngmi Kim (2011). The Politics of Coalition in South Korea. Taylor & Francis, p. 65.

[7] Park 2010, p. 27.

[8] Aurel Croissant, "Electoral Politics of South Korea", in Croissant et al. (2002) Electoral Politics in Southeast and East Asia. Friedrich Ebert Foundation, p. 257.

[9] Croissant, p. 257.

[10] Y. Kim, p. 68.

[11] Y. Kim, pp. 68–9.

[12] World's Most Unruly Parliaments

[13] South Korean President Impeached

[14] Impeachment battle

[15] Democracy, South Korean-style: MPs blasted with fire extinguishers after trying to break into Parliament with hoses and sledgehammers

[16] South Korea lawmakers: Reaching across the aisle with a sledgehammer

[17] South Korean politicians use fire extinguishers against opposition

[18] Hall of Violence

[19] Setting the Stage

[20] ICL – South Korea Index

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