Passage of the 'Sejong Assembly Hall Act' Likely in the National Assembly Plenary Session After Judiciary Committee Submission

On the 1st, cherry blossoms are in full bloom along Yeouiseo-ro near the National Assembly building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, under warm spring weather. Yeongdeungpo-gu will accept applications for entry to the Yeouiseo-ro Cherry Blossom Road through the Spring Flower Festival website on three occasions: April 1-2, 5-6, and 7-8. Visitors can enter in groups of 72 at a time from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., allowing a total of 504 people per day to enjoy the festival with limited access. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] The amendment to the National Assembly Act for the installation of the Sejong Assembly Hall was submitted to the full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 24th, surpassing the "final hurdle." If there are no major variables, it is expected to be put to a vote at the National Assembly plenary session on the 27th or 29th of this month.

The installation of the Sejong Assembly Hall, which had been stalled for some time due to opposition from the opposition party, gained momentum as the People Power Party became aware of the Chungcheong region's swing vote ahead of the presidential election. The opposition party had been lukewarm about passing the law, citing cost and operational inefficiency issues, but on the 23rd of last month, Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader of the People Power Party, announced, "We plan to secure the budget for establishing a National Assembly branch in Sejong City during this National Assembly," which gave the initiative a boost. This is interpreted as being mindful of public sentiment in Chungnam as the presidential election approaches.

The installation of the Sejong Assembly Hall is the biggest issue in the Chungcheong region, which has played a casting vote role in past elections, and leading presidential candidates from both ruling and opposition parties have supported it. Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited Sejong last month and emphasized, "The Sejong Assembly Hall has even been budgeted for, so it should be promoted quickly." Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl also visited the site for the Sejong Assembly Hall last month and stated, "Not only the Sejong Assembly Hall but also a presidential office should be established in Sejong." The construction of the Sejong Assembly Hall has already been reflected in this year's government budget with an increased design fee of 12.7 billion won through bipartisan agreement.

Meanwhile, at the full meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the same day, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye and Chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials Kim Jin-wook are expected to face intense questioning from ruling and opposition lawmakers regarding the "Daejang-dong development scandal" and the "Yoon Seok-youl prosecution accusation scandal." The People Power Party submitted a request for a national investigation and a bill concerning the appointment of a special prosecutor on the 23rd to uncover the truth about the Daejang-dong scandal, but the Democratic Party of Korea has rejected it as a political attack, so fierce debate is anticipated over this issue.