Yang Bunam, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Gwangju Seo-gu-eul and a member of the Public Administration and Security Committee), announced on December 16 that he has been selected as an "Outstanding Member for National Assembly Audits" by the Democratic Party of Korea for the second consecutive year.
During this year's audit, Assemblyman Yang scrutinized the government's role with the highest priority on the lives and safety of the people. He not only pointed out issues that emerged during the process but also focused on proposing institutional improvements and alternatives to resolve those problems.
He closely examined the roles of major central government agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the National Police Agency, and the National Fire Agency, in areas directly impacting people's lives such as public security, emergency medical services, and disaster safety. He emphasized the need for necessary institutional and legislative measures, garnering understanding and cooperation from the audited agencies.
In addition, during the local government audits, he pointed out issues such as inappropriate administration, abuse of authority, and reckless project implementation, while stressing the responsibilities and roles of local governments.
During the Ministry of the Interior and Safety audit, he highlighted that the number of kidnapping and confinement cases involving Koreans in Cambodia had increased more than tenfold in a year. He pointed out that, due to the policy of streamlining the number of public officials, there has been no increase in overseas police attach?s, resulting in gaps in the protection of overseas citizens, and emphasized the need to expand overseas security personnel.
In the National Police Agency audit, he addressed problems in the handling of intelligence regarding the Unification Church's alleged overseas gambling. The National Police Agency stated that it did not investigate the case because the statute of limitations had expired at the time the intelligence was received. However, he pointed out that the 15-year statute of limitations for embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, which occurred in 2011, was still valid, and called for an audit and investigation into the leakage of Unification Church investigation information.
During the National Fire Agency audit, he raised the issue of so-called "emergency room ping-pong," which occurs during the transport of emergency patients, and stressed the need to revise the "119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Act" so that 119 emergency teams can select hospitals quickly without requiring prior hospital approval.
In the Seoul Metropolitan Government audit, he criticized the overall management failure related to the Han River Bus project, citing concerns over poor safety inspections and wasteful spending due to the city's aggressive project schedule. He also pointed out that the Han River Bus's speed falls short of 17 knots, raising concerns about its effectiveness as a means of transportation.
During the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province audit, he pointed out the lack of economic feasibility of the Yangyang Osaek Cable Car project and criticized the unstructured, ad hoc management of tourism projects, emphasizing the need for a complete reassessment.
Assemblyman Yang stated, "As this was the first National Assembly audit since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration, I focused on examining the state's responsibilities not only for the lives and safety of the people but also in the context of the evolving technological and administrative environment. As a member of the Public Administration and Security Committee, I will continue to fulfill my responsibilities until meaningful changes that truly benefit people's lives are felt on the ground."
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