[Preview of the National Assembly Inspection] The Biggest Political Event of the Fall Session... Lawmakers Feel the Pressure

Individual Stars Rare Amid Polarization and Media Shifts
Inspection Performance Now Central to Nomination Evaluations

Editor's NoteImmediately after the Chuseok holiday, the 2025 National Assembly Inspection will begin. As this is the first inspection since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration and there are major pending issues such as the Korea-US customs agreement, it is drawing significant attention. In this three-part series, we will examine the atmosphere in Yeouido as lawmakers prepare for the inspection, the key issues of this year's inspection, and the reasons why both the ruling and opposition parties are focusing so much on it.

There was a time when the phrase "National Assembly Inspection Star" was popular during the inspection season. A National Assembly Inspection Star referred to a politician who, by sharply questioning government or corporate witnesses during the October inspection, would suddenly rise to political stardom. Now, even the memory of such stars has faded, making it difficult to recall the last one.

Despite the disappearance of National Assembly Inspection Stars into memory, the National Assembly Members' Office Building remains brightly lit late into the night as aides and lawmakers wage a fierce battle with documents in preparation for the inspection. What drives them to give up their holidays and work through the night to get ready?

Behind the National Assembly Building in Yeouido, Seoul, the buildings of the securities and financial districts are brightly lit. Photo by Jo Yongjun

The Disappearance of National Assembly Inspection Stars

Park Yongjin, former lawmaker of the Democratic Party, became a National Assembly Inspection Star in 2018 after publicly releasing a list of private kindergarten corruption cases, which sparked a nationwide sensation. He pushed for the so-called "Three Kindergarten Laws" as regular legislation during the National Assembly session, gaining nationwide recognition. Park Youngsun, former Minister of SMEs and Startups, also made a name for herself as the "BBK sniper" during her time as a lawmaker. Ha Taekyung, former lawmaker of the People Power Party, also drew national attention by posing sharp questions regarding the case of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official killed by North Korea.

However, due to political polarization and changes in the media environment, there is now less room for National Assembly Inspection Stars. Unlike in the past, the inspection is no longer a stage for exposing new issues; instead, it is conducted around major issues between the ruling and opposition parties, often in a collaborative format among lawmakers. As lawmakers must inspect a vast number of agencies within a limited timeframe, it has become difficult to conduct thorough inspections. Furthermore, with changes in the media landscape, YouTubers and other new media figures have replaced traditional media, changing the way political news is consumed and making it harder for new stars to emerge through media attention.

On November 12, 2024, at the Kyungsilryeon Auditorium in Jung-gu, Seoul, during the "2024 National Assembly Audit Evaluation and Outstanding Member Selection Press Conference," Secretary General Kim Seongdal and Policy Chairman Park Kyungjun of Kyungsilryeon shouted slogans while announcing the results of the outstanding member selection. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Why Lawmakers Still Focus on the Inspection

Even though politicians who gain nationwide fame through inspection questioning have disappeared, lawmakers remain highly invested in the inspection largely due to the impact of "systematic nominations." With the disappearance of faction-based nominations, as in the past, "legislative activity evaluations" have become crucial alongside local district competitiveness. A senior aide at the National Assembly explained, "After the inspection, each lawmaker's office organizes their media coverage records and submits them to the floor leader's office, which uses this data to assign grades and award distinctions. As media coverage has become more important, everyone is focused on getting coverage during the inspection."

In fact, during the last nomination process for lawmakers, both the Democratic Party and the People Power Party advocated for systematic nominations. In the case of the Democratic Party, lawmakers who ranked in the bottom 20% based on performance evaluations had 20% deducted from their primary election vote percentages, while those in the bottom 10% had 30% deducted. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations are used, with quantitative metrics including legislative activity (such as bills sponsored and passage rates), attendance at plenary and committee meetings, party policy compliance, and National Assembly Inspection activities. Clearly, lawmakers have strong incentives to aim for inspection awards.

The People Power Party also implemented systematic nominations in the last general election, using legislative activity evaluations and party work audits to establish a "replacement index." Incumbent lawmakers in the bottom 10% were excluded from nominations, while those in the 10-30% range had 20% deducted from their vote percentages. The People Power Party, which previously had looser evaluation standards, has recently begun strengthening its assessments of legislative activities, such as tracking lawmakers' attendance.