33.8% of Bills in First Half of 22nd National Assembly Are Regulatory... Jeong Taeho, Kim Seungwon, Kim Sohee, Choi Boyoon, and Park Chungkwon Win Good Regulation Awards

Announcement of the Winners of the 1st Republic of Korea Good Regulation Legislation Award

An analysis has found that 33.8% of the bills submitted during the first half of the 22nd National Assembly are regulatory bills. Assemblymen Kim Seungwon and Jeong Taeho of the Democratic Party of Korea, as well as Assemblymen Kim Sohee, Park Chungkwon, and Choi Boyoon of the People Power Party, received the 'Good Regulation Legislative Award' for proposing exemplary regulatory bills.

At the Good Regulation Legislative Support Award ceremony organized by the Good Regulation Citizens Forum, Chairman Choi Byungseon (from left), Director Kang Youngcheol, Secretary Kim Chaewon of Congressman Kim Seungwon's office, Aide Kim Seongeun of Congressman Park Choongkwon's office, Aide Jang Jinyeong of Congresswoman Kim Sohee's office, Aide Kim Junha of Congressman Jung Taeho's office, Standing Advisor Kim Dohun, and General Director Lee Minchang are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Good Regulation Citizens Forum

According to the Good Regulation Citizens Forum (hereinafter referred to as the Forum), which announced the winners of the "1st Republic of Korea Good Regulation Legislative Award" on July 28, the Forum conducted a comprehensive monitoring of all 17,311 bills submitted during the first half of the 22nd National Assembly (from May 30, 2024, to May 31, 2026). As a result, 5,852 bills were classified as regulatory. On average, approximately 56 regulatory bills were introduced each week. The findings are based on a rigorous multi-stage review process, including proprietary AI analysis, in-depth expert panel evaluation, and Delphi analysis.

Although a large number of regulatory bills were introduced, some received high praise. The Forum selected five exemplary regulatory bills and the lawmakers who sponsored them as award recipients for the "Good Regulation Legislative Award."

Assemblywoman Kim Sohee was recognized for introducing a revision to the National Assembly Act, mandating the prior submission of a Regulatory Impact Analysis for bills initiated by lawmakers, where regulatory review is relatively weak. This is acknowledged for establishing a reasonable foundation for thoroughly evaluating the validity of regulatory bills.

Assemblyman Kim Seungwon was awarded for sponsoring the Fair Transactions in Subcontracting Act, which shifts the regulatory framework for minor violations of subcontracting laws from punitive criminal sanctions—previously resulting in a proliferation of criminal records—to a system focused on administrative penalties, such as fines. This achievement was noted for enhancing the proportionality of regulations.

Assemblyman Park Chungkwon received high marks for proposing a bill to repeal the so-called "Mobile Device Distribution Structure Improvement Act" ("Dantong Law"), thereby fostering market competition and enhancing consumer welfare.

Assemblyman Jeong Taeho was praised for drafting the Special Act on Regulatory Exceptions and Improvement for New Industries and Technologies, which establishes a control tower by integrating the fragmented regulatory sandbox systems across eight ministries under the Office for Government Policy Coordination, thereby enabling swift regulatory innovation and reducing confusion for businesses.

Assemblywoman Choi Boyoon was positively evaluated for sponsoring a revision to the Medical Service Act, which not only establishes a permanent legal basis for telemedicine—previously operated on a temporary basis—but also sets criteria for the management of online medical platform intermediaries, thereby enhancing public convenience and fostering the development of the medical innovation industry.

Lee Hyukwoo, Chair of the Regulation Monitoring Committee at the Good Regulation Citizens Forum (professor at Pai Chai University), stated, "The announcement of these monitoring results and the presentation of legislative awards are intended as a wake-up call against the indiscriminate proliferation of bills by the National Assembly and to encourage the improvement of legislative quality." He added, "We will continue to rigorously monitor lawmakers’ regulatory legislative responsibilities under the legislative real-name system and contribute to fostering a rational legislative environment." The "legislative real-name system" requires that a bill be named after its primary sponsor, thereby enhancing lawmakers' accountability and ensuring a more prudent approach to submitting bills. It also calls for sponsors to personally justify the necessity and effectiveness of their bills during subsequent societal discussions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.