Bill Proposed Allowing National Assembly Members to Concurrently Serve as Vice Ministers

Assemblyman Kim Byung-wook of the Democratic Party of Korea

Kim Byung-wook, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Bill Review of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, is presiding over the 1st Bill Review Subcommittee meeting of the Political Affairs Committee held at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] A ruling party lawmaker has proposed a bill allowing members of the National Assembly to concurrently serve as vice ministers in government ministries.

On the 25th, Kim Byung-wook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced that he had introduced a revision to the National Assembly Act to expand the scope of concurrent positions for lawmakers from cabinet members to government officials at the vice minister level or higher.

The legislation aims to maximize the advantages of Korea's unique characteristics, which, despite being a presidential system, have cabinet-like features (allowing lawmakers to concurrently serve as prime ministers and cabinet members). Countries such as the United Kingdom and Japan have lawmakers extensively participating in the cabinet and actively involved in state affairs. However, in Korea, the scope of concurrent positions is limited to the prime minister and cabinet members, which has been evaluated as a limitation in reflecting public opinion in administration.

Kim said, "Expanding the scope of concurrent positions for lawmakers to the vice minister level can positively impact the rigidity of the bureaucratic society represented by departmental barriers, and through smoother communication between the Blue House and the executive branch, it will play a significant role in advancing national agendas. By opening opportunities for various political forces to participate in more ministries, it will greatly contribute to promoting cooperation between ruling and opposition parties."

To avoid political controversy, the bill stipulates that its enforcement date be April 1, 2022, after the 20th presidential election on March 9, 2022. This is intended to avoid misunderstandings of a 'crackdown on public officials' during President Moon Jae-in's final term.

Although not explicitly stated in the bill, considering concerns in the public service community that the existing vice minister positions, mainly held by bureaucrats, might disappear, it is being reviewed to establish a new position of political vice minister.

Kim said, "Although there are some concerns, if this bill is implemented, it will enable smoother execution of national agendas than now and greatly contribute to alleviating the rigidity of the bureaucratic society represented by departmental barriers. Regarding criticisms of a crackdown on public officials at the end of the term, we supplemented this by including a provision that the enforcement date be after the 20th presidential election."