[Reporter's Notebook] Legislative Initiatives Surge 2,600%... National Assembly Leaves President Frustrated

"This is truly frustrating." President Lee Jaemyung voiced his disappointment, even sighing in public. The moment came on October 20, during a Cabinet meeting, as he received a report from Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Younghoon on statistics for fatal accidents subject to disaster investigations.

For a president whose every word and expression sends a message, the display of frustration stemmed from delays in legislation. Earlier this year, President Lee also remarked, targeting the National Assembly, "There may be reasons for it, but from my perspective, there are many times when it is incredibly frustrating."

This is not the first time a sitting president has expressed disappointment at the slow pace of legislation needed to carry out government priorities. Former President Moon Jaein abruptly canceled an innovation meeting over delays in passing regulatory reform bills, saying, "This is frustrating." When labor reform bills and the Anti-Terrorism Act were delayed, former President Park Geunhye said, "My heart is simply heavy as I wonder whether the National Assembly and the political community are hearing our earnest pleas to pass the bills."

It is not that the ruling party lacks determination. When the president calls for swift action, the ruling party has been willing to push bills through even without reaching an agreement with the opposition. Nor can the sluggish pace of legislation be blamed solely on the opposition. Presidents throughout history have felt frustrated even when their parties held a majority in the National Assembly.

Why do presidents have no choice but to think that "legislation is slow"? The problem is that there are too many bills introduced merely for show, preventing the process from moving forward quickly. In the 21st National Assembly, bills took an average of 615 days to process. Legislative initiatives grew from 938 in the 13th National Assembly to a record 25,858 in the 21st, an increase of more than 2,600%. Most were bills introduced by individual lawmakers, and 67% were discarded when the Assembly's term ended without being properly considered.

Once a bill is introduced, lawmakers must discuss whether to pass it with amendments, reject it, discard it, incorporate it into an alternative or revised bill, or simply withdraw it. The more bills introduced without sufficient consultation, the longer the processing period becomes.

This is not a problem that can be solved by having ministers go to the National Assembly and plead, as President Lee has instructed. Political reform that prioritizes quality over quantity is needed. The system must change so that lawmakers can be recognized for doing a good job by producing sound legislation, even if they introduce fewer bills, and so that their chances of being nominated as candidates increase. The National Assembly must be able to focus on introducing and deliberating on more important bills.

If even key livelihood-related bills that face no disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties are delayed, the people are the ones who end up feeling most frustrated of all.

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