DR & AJU Legislation & Government Relations Consulting Center's latest issue of its specialized legislative journal, the Policy & Business Report, is now available in digital format.
The final audit for the 21th National Assembly concludes. The Environment and Labor Committee resolves to hold a hearing for SPC and DL on industrial accidents.
The final audit for the 21th National Assembly has come to an end. Numerous conflicts arose on various issues throughout the audit, reflecting the intense political battle between the ruling and the opposition parties. The primary assessment of this audit is that it failed to present a “decisive shot” due to the general election being just five months away and the disoriented atmosphere following the by-election for the head of Gangseo-gu, Seoul.
Despite the efforts of the National Assembly Secretariat, such as broadcasting the majority of the audit through the National Assembly TV channel and YouTube, the audit was criticized for repeatedly addressing familiar issues and devolving into political battles rather than engaging in substantial policy discussions.
The National Assembly has completed the integrated audit of eight standing committees, including the Economy and Finance Committee, the National Policy Committee, the Environment and Labor Committee, the Science, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Broadcasting and Communications Committee. Members of the National Assembly conducted audit of 791 agencies. Audits of the other standing committees, including the House Steering Committee, the Gender Equality and Family Committee, and the Intelligence Committee, are scheduled to conclude early next month.
The main issues during the three-week-long audits were largely centered on political strife, including: (i) The “judicial risk” of Rep. Jae Myung LEE (the Legislation and Judiciary Committee); (ii) Allegations related to the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway development project (the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee); (iii) R&D budget cuts (the Economy and Finance Committee, the Science, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Broadcasting and Communications Committee, and the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee); (iv) The relocation of the bust sculpture of independence hero Hong Beom-do (the National Defense Committee and the National Policy Committee); and (v) Response to the release of Fukushima’s treated radioactive water (the Environment and Labor Committee, the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, etc.).
Public opinion on the audit was also highly critical. According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea between the 24th and 26th of last month with 1003 eligible voters for respondents, only 13% of them found the audit to be “fair,” while 80% deemed it as “poor.” Among those who rated the performance of the audit unfavorably, 22% cited "slander and political bicker" as the main reason, which was followed by 19% listing reasons of "lack of improvement and resolution."
Meanwhile, the Environment and Labor Committee has decided to hold a hearing for SPC Group, DL Group, and other companies where a series of fatal industrial accidents have occurred in their subsidiaries.
On October 27, during the integrated audit of the Ministry of Environment, the Environment and Labor Committee held the general meeting and proposed the "Adoption of a Hearing Plan for Industrial Accidents" as part of the agenda and held a vote. Lawmakers from the ruling party walked out in protest before the vote. The motion was led by the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea and the Justice Party, and passed with all 10 attending members voting in favor.
This was in response to Chairman Heo Yeong-in of the SPC Group and Chairman Lee Hae-wook of the DL Group submitting excused absences to the integrated audit of the Ministry of Labor and Employment conducted by the Environment and Labor Committee the day before. The ruling and opposition party continued negotiations on the matter but failed to reach an agreement. Instead of filing charges against Heo and Lee, the opposition insisted on holding an industrial accident hearing with Heo and Lee in attendance. The ruling party, on the other hand, proposed to conduct undisclosed site visits to each of the companies.
Discussions between the ruling and opposition secretaries continued into the late afternoon regarding whether to hold a hearing, but the parties were unable to reach a conclusion. Eventually, the motion to conduct a hearing was voted on by the opposition alone as the ruling party lawmakers left the chamber. The opposition plans to hold the hearing after Heo and Lee arrive in the country, with a possible date in November.
As the first-ever Korean law firm to issue specialized legislative journals, DR & AJU LLC has been publishing the monthly Policy & Business Report since August 2019. The October 2023 issue of the P&B Report conducted a full inspection of legislation proposed to the National Assembly Subcommittee, Standing Committee, and Plenary Session from September 15, 2023, to October 14, 2023, and selected and analyzed legislation with a significant impact on corporate activities. In the case of major legislation, key mentions of legislators, members of the Standing Committee, and government officials are included.
*DR & AJU Legislation & Government Relations Consulting Center provides P&B Report subscription service. Please contact us at Ic@draju.com for further inquiries.
.png)