National Assembly Steering Committee Approves Sejong Assembly Hall Rules on 30th
Lee Kwang-jae "Must Pass Plenary Session for Fundamental Effect...
Plan to Establish Chairperson-Direct Subordinate Construction Committee"
The land contract for the relocation of 12 standing committees of the National Assembly to the Sejong National Assembly Building is being pursued with the goal of completion before the general election for National Assembly members in April next year. The Construction Committee under the Speaker of the National Assembly is also reported to be in the final preparation stage.
Lee Kwang-jae, Secretary General of the National Assembly, explained the future schedule related to the rules passed in the morning session during the resumed full meeting of the Steering Committee in the afternoon. He stated, "I hope that the land contract will be finalized before next year's National Assembly election."
In response to a related inquiry from Jang Cheol-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, Secretary General Lee said, "The rules have passed the Steering Committee, but they must soon pass the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the plenary session to take effect in essence. Once passed, the budget for land purchase procedures includes 35 billion won from last year and 35 billion won in next year's budget, so the contract funds for land purchase seem sufficient."
He added, "The next step is 'how to proceed with the contract and how to conduct the public offering,' and we plan to establish a Construction Committee directly under the Speaker to promote this."
Secretary General Lee also emphasized efforts for balanced development through the construction of the Sejong National Assembly Building. He explained, "It is important that Sejong City becomes a self-sufficient city as the National Assembly moves there, and also important to solve issues such as the railway network connecting Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong regions, and educational facilities."
When Hong Sung-guk, a Democratic Party member, inquired with the intention that "a more religious and transparent plan should be established and promoted," Secretary General Lee responded, "The promotion of the Construction Committee under the Speaker is actually in the final preparation stage," and added, "Regarding budget execution, there are sufficient funds for land purchase and design fees, so we will ensure smooth progress without any setbacks."
The Steering Committee convened a full meeting in the morning and passed the "Rules on the Establishment and Operation of the Sejong National Assembly Building" as the third agenda item.
The 12 standing committees subject to relocation to Sejong include the Political Affairs Committee, Planning and Finance Committee, Education Committee, Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, Public Administration and Security Committee, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee, Health and Welfare Committee, Environment and Labor Committee, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, all overseeing administrative departments located in Sejong City.
Additionally, the National Assembly Budget Office, National Assembly Research Service, and National Assembly Future Institute are also included in the relocation to the Sejong National Assembly Building. The National Assembly Library will remain in Seoul but will establish a branch in Sejong. The plenary hall and the Speaker’s office will remain at the current National Assembly Building in Yeouido, Seoul.
Meanwhile, although the Legislation and Judiciary Committee was originally scheduled to remain in Seoul, the subcommittee discussion resulted in a supplementary opinion to relocate it to Sejong. Lee Yang-su, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the National Assembly Operation Improvement Subcommittee, said, "As a supplementary opinion, we reviewed the plan to relocate the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to the Sejong National Assembly Building and to include one non-negotiating party recommendation in the Construction Committee. The National Assembly Secretariat was also instructed to report annually to the National Assembly Steering Committee on measures to improve inefficiencies arising from the relocation to Sejong."
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