[21st General Election] Winners After Fierce Battles... Schedule Until National Assembly Opening

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The newly formed 21st National Assembly, elected through the April 15 general election, will begin its four-year term starting from the 30th of next month. The elected members will put the intense election heat behind them and will be busy for the time being preparing to enter the National Assembly while meeting with local figures.

According to political circles on the 16th, the National Assembly Secretariat opened the "21st National Assembly Opening Comprehensive Support Office" on the 13th and has begun full-scale preparations for the opening of the 21st National Assembly.

The term of the 21st National Assembly members is four years, from the 30th of next month until May 29, 2024. The start date of the National Assembly members' term is not legally fixed. Looking at past records, the term starting on May 30 was first established with the 13th National Assembly in 1988. At that time, the constitution was amended following the June 1987 democratization movement, and the constitution included a provision to hold general elections within six months from the promulgation date of the constitution, leading to the 13th general election on April 26 the following year. Subsequently, by agreement among the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, the schedule of the 13th National Assembly began on May 30, continuing through to the 21st National Assembly.

Although there is more than a month left until the National Assembly opens, the elected members must handle a busy schedule. Through the Opening Comprehensive Support Office, the National Assembly Secretariat will support tasks such as registration, issuance of National Assembly access cards, appointment of aides, and guidance on legislative support institutions for the newly elected members for one month starting from the day after the election, the 16th.

The elected members can complete their registration at the Opening Comprehensive Support Office and receive their so-called "gold (金) badge," the member badge. Until the 20th National Assembly, the National Assembly Secretariat distributed screw-type badges to men and pin-type badges to women, but for the 21st National Assembly members, all badges will be distributed as magnetic type without gender distinction.

In particular, first-term members will have a busier schedule than expected. First, the National Assembly will conduct training for first-term members on the roles of National Assembly members and the composition of the floor. Each party will also hold various training sessions such as workshops for them. Along with this, the floor leadership teams of each party, which will lead the first half of the 21st National Assembly, will be formed.

Although the term of the 21st National Assembly begins on May 30, the date of the opening ceremony remains uncertain due to the difficult negotiations over the organization of the National Assembly. According to the National Assembly Act, the first extraordinary session after the general election must be held within seven days after the start of the members' term. However, because of the tug-of-war among parties over the distribution of the Speaker, standing committee chairs, and others, this rule has never been observed even once since the 1994 amendment of the National Assembly Act.

In the case of the 20th National Assembly, which was relatively quick, the organization negotiations were concluded nine days after the start of the term on June 8, and the opening ceremony was held on the 13th. However, for the 13th to 19th National Assemblies, it took an average of 51.2 days from the start of the term to hold the opening ceremony.