Members of the National Assembly... Things That Disappoint Us [Viewpoint]

Choi Jun-seon, Honorary Professor at Sungkyunkwan University School of Law

The essay "Things That Make Us Sad" by German poet Anton Schnack (1892?1973), which was included in the Korean language textbook for 11th grade high school students, moved us deeply. This piece became more famous in Korea than in Germany itself, thanks to the beautiful translation by essayist Kim Jin-seop. Recently in Korea, there has been a tendency to downplay Schnack because he was almost unknown in Germany, was one of the 88 writers who pledged allegiance to Adolf Hitler, and participated in both World Wars. Although it has now been removed from textbooks, the phrase "things that make us sad" has deeply imprinted itself on the minds of generations after the Korean War, and many have adopted this essay style without a clear beginning, middle, or end whenever there was something to lament.

The prose collection "Things That Make Us Happy," published in 2012 by Professor Lee Tae-dong of Sogang University, is not a lament. While Schnack began with "The sight of a crying child makes us sad," Professor Lee spoke of a "laughing child." It is a kind of literary humor. It starts with "The smiling face of a child with missing front teeth made me happy." The section recalling memories of his mentors was especially relatable.

Today, I write this piece to lament something. I do not want to talk about a "crying child" or a "laughing child," but about the "immature behavior of some members of the National Assembly." Therefore, my first sentence begins, "The immature behavior of a member of the National Assembly disappointed us."

The immature behavior of a member of the National Assembly disappointed us. A member of the Democratic Party left their party without any reason and soon expressed an intention to rejoin. They pretend to be a righteous person alone, but anyone who knows about their maneuvers to pass the "Korean-style prosecution reform" bill is well aware. They must think the public is a bunch of fools to act this way.

The reckless conduct of a senior statesman disappointed us. He graduated from the same university as I did, admiring Confucius's philosophy and using Confucianism as a guide in teaching. Confucius said, "Do not live a mean life." Meanness means "not doing what must be done by any means, and doing what must never be done by any means." To force the passage of a bill, he resorted to the parliamentary trick of "splitting the session," lightly throwing away his values and dignity like a straw.

The behavior of a former prosecutor who is now a member of the National Assembly disappointed us. Previously, a Saenuri Party floor leader proposed a bill to control presidential decrees, which violated the basic spirit of the separation of powers in the constitution. The National Assembly was trying to control the president's exclusive authority and interfere with presidential governance. We might understand this as the act of an economist unfamiliar with law. This time, a person who passed the judicial examination and should know the law proposed an even more suspicious bill. Although he recently pretended to criticize the Korean-style prosecution reform bill, he ultimately supported it and contributed to its passage. We thought he had a spirited and steadfast integrity, but apparently not.

What disappoints us is not some members of the National Assembly themselves, but their "actions." And we respect the majority of dignified members of the National Assembly.

Choi Jun-seon, Professor Emeritus, School of Law, Sungkyunkwan University