Kwangjae Lee "Pushing for National Assembly Relocation to Sejong by 2028... Securing Related Budget"

Discussion policy on subjects if rules pass
Support for election law revision, emphasis on budget review 강화

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Lee Kwang-jae, Secretary General of the National Assembly, announced that he will push for the relocation of the National Assembly to Sejong by 2028. He explained that the budget for this has been secured and that full-scale promotion will begin once the National Assembly regulations are enacted.

On the 16th, Secretary General Lee held a press briefing on key New Year initiatives at the National Assembly and stated, "The budget for the land contract for the relocation to the Sejong Assembly Hall has been secured."

He said, "I believe that it is an inevitable matter for the National Assembly to move to the Sejong Assembly Hall as soon as possible," adding, "For this, we plan to enact the National Assembly regulations quickly, and once the task force passes through the National Assembly, we will form it and proceed without any setbacks." The expected timeline is "targeting 2028."

Currently, under the National Assembly Act, matters necessary for the establishment and operation of the Sejong Assembly Hall are to be determined by National Assembly regulations. Earlier, on the 5th, Speaker Kim Jin-pyo submitted the ‘Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of the National Assembly Sejong Assembly Hall,’ which includes having 12 standing committees, to the National Assembly Steering Committee.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the briefing, Secretary General Lee also pledged support for the revision of the National Assembly election law and constitutional amendment efforts. He explained, "Currently, a constitutional advisory committee under the Speaker has been formed, and weekly discussions are being held by each subcommittee this week as well," adding, "The election law is being developed with multiple proposals by the Political Reform Special Committee, and for the first time in the Republic of Korea, a plenary committee is being held to gather opinions from all members to create a new election system for Korea."

He also emphasized strengthening the legislative capacity of the National Assembly and its budget review functions. Secretary General Lee said, "It is not about fundamentally denying the government's budget formulation authority, but I believe there needs to be a process for expressing opinions," adding, "In fact, our budget review process was opaque. Institutional improvements are needed so that the entire budget review process in the National Assembly can be conducted transparently."

He further explained that budgets have been secured for supporting special committees of the National Assembly, inter-state diplomatic invitations, and strengthening the functions of the Legislative Training Institute.

Regarding the previously controversial issue of removing satirical works about President Yoon Seok-yeol in the National Assembly, he stated, "I believe freedom of expression must be respected," adding, "Going forward, we agreed on the need to create a reasonable alternative through an expert advisory committee recommended by both ruling and opposition parties to ensure that freedom of expression of the public and the public nature of the National Assembly space do not conflict."