Jin Joong-kwon on Park Kwang-on's 'No.1 Bill' Submission: "Making Assistants Work 4 Nights and 5 Days Straight Reflects Labor Reality"

The First Bill Submitted to the 21st National Assembly is the 'Social Basic Act'

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Kwang-on submitted the so-called "Social Value Act" as the "No. 1 bill" of the 21st National Assembly to the National Assembly Secretariat on the 1st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 1st, Park Gwang-on, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, submitted the first bill of the 21st National Assembly, the "Basic Act on the Realization of Social Value in Public Institutions" (Social Basic Act), while former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized, saying, "The reality of labor in Korea is making aides stay up all night in shifts for 4 nights and 5 days just to take one photo."

On the same day, former professor Jin wrote on his Facebook, "Making (aides) work overtime for completely useless tasks inevitably leads to industrial accidents and safety incidents," he said.

He targeted Park, adding, "He probably doesn't even know why this is a problem. He has always taken such things for granted."

At 9 a.m. on the same day, Park submitted the "Social Basic Act" as the first bill as soon as the National Assembly's legislative affairs office opened. This bill was assigned the number "2100001," indicating the first bill of the 21st National Assembly.

It is reported that Park's aides took turns staying up all night for 4 nights and 5 days starting from the morning of the 28th of last month to submit the first bill.

The bill centers on making the realization of social value a core operating principle of the public sector, and 16 Democratic Party lawmakers jointly proposed it.

The bill was originally proposed by President Moon Jae-in when he was a member of the National Assembly in 2014, but it did not pass the plenary session at that time. Later, Park revised and reintroduced the bill in the 20th National Assembly, but it still did not pass.