Recently in the National Assembly, the "Grade-3 Chief of Staff creation bill" has become a hot topic. The bill, for which Kim Gi-hyeon of the People Power Party was the lead sponsor on Sept. in the past, was put on the agenda of the National Assembly Steering Committee on Dec. 18. Opinions are split between those who say it can prevent professional personnel within the legislature from moving outside and strengthen the National Assembly's function of checking the executive branch, and those who say that first we need ways to run the existing system more efficiently.
◇Reduce two grade-4 positions to one and create a grade-3 position… "With a broader scope of legislative work, higher-level personnel are needed"
Currently, each lawmaker is allotted eight staffers. The core of the amendment is to eliminate one of the two existing grade-4 Chiefs of Staff and create a grade-3 Chief of Staff in that place. The legislative intent is to support lawmakers' offices in securing professional personnel with policy capabilities amid an increasingly complex policy and legislative environment.
A former Chief of Staff who worked in the National Assembly for more than 10 years said, "In the past, the parts were relatively clearly divided among policy, information, public relations, and local affairs, but now there are so many bills and issues that two people in the policy part can't handle it." The person added, "Chiefs of Staff are on a single step-based pay system, so a first-year and a 30-year veteran are on the same step, which doesn't boost morale. Other than raising the grade, there is no means."
A senior secretary affiliated with the People Power Party noted, "It's not just a matter of staff treatment," pointing to the gap in rank and expertise between the executive branch and the National Assembly. The person said, "Even if you build up policy know-how in the National Assembly for a long time, your status is insecure and promotions are blocked. The structure is such that moving to corporations and law firms is more beneficial." The person added, "If personnel who know the legislative and budget structure well go only to the private sector, policy capacity in the public sector will weaken and it could lead to a social loss."
In fact, according to the Inspector General's Office of the National Assembly Secretariat, from Jan. to Nov. 25 this year, as many as 32 Chiefs of Staff requested employment reviews to move to private companies. Chiefs of Staff at grade 4 and above must undergo an employment review if they seek a job within three years of retirement at a place related to their duties. If an employment review is required, the number of staffers leaving for private companies is likely higher when including secretaries at grade 5 and below.
◇A 30-year aspiration, is it different this time? 38 People Power Party lawmakers jointly sponsor
The creation of a grade-3 Chief of Staff has been discussed for nearly 30 years. The idea was first proposed in 1997 at the 15th National Assembly's special committee on political reform. Similar bills emerged in the 17th and 20th National Assemblies, but they were repeatedly scrapped due to budget burdens and negative public opinion.
In the 22nd National Assembly, there is also hope that the mood is different. The People Power Party Chiefs of Staff Council (Kukbohyeop) directly designed the bill, and 38 lawmakers, including Kim Gi-hyeon and former and current leadership such as Jang Dong-hyeok, Kweon Seong-dong, and Choo Kyung-ho, joined as co-sponsors to add momentum. In addition, after the controversy over "staff abuse" that surfaced during the confirmation hearing for Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee Kang Sun-woo, a somewhat favorable public opinion formed for improving staff treatment.
However, the legislative outlook remains bleak. Most staffers are skeptical, saying, "Would the public welcome an increase in the National Assembly's budget?"
According to the expense estimate by the National Assembly Budget Office for Kim's bill, if a grade 4 is raised by one level to grade 3, an additional 23.995 billion won in finances will be needed over five years from 2027 to 2031. That is an annual average of 4.799 billion won. The amount was calculated by matching the grade-3 Chief of Staff's pay to "civil servant grade 3, step 21." This is because various allowances—base pay, managerial duty allowance, lawmaker assistant allowance, fixed meal allowance—and employer contributions such as civil service pensions and health insurance increase significantly compared with grade 4. A grade-3 Chief of Staff would be able to receive not only higher salary but also more in the civil service pension received after more than 10 years of service than a grade-4 Chief of Staff who is covered under "civil servant grade 4, step 21."
Kim's office said, "If the budget is the problem, adjustments are possible." If it is applied at the level of civil servant grade 3, step 14, the additional budget would total only 150 million won. Hwang Gyu-hwan, a Chief of Staff in Kim's office and head of the People Power Party Chiefs of Staff Council, said, "This is not about protecting our rice bowls, but about raising the National Assembly's function of checking the executive branch and the quality of legislative work," adding, "If you raise the rank, the scope of authority and roles themselves expand."
◇"First, make legislative support more efficient… improvements to stop staff abuse are also needed"
There are also opposing views on the bill. The idea is to first operate the current system supporting legislative activities more efficiently.
A Chief of Staff who has worked for more than 10 years said, "There is an argument that it is inappropriate for a grade-4 Chief of Staff to deal with grade-1 and grade-2 senior officials of audited agencies, but in reality, even grade-6 and grade-7 secretaries sometimes protest to and communicate with a ministry Director General," adding, "Expertise will not suddenly emerge just by raising the rank." The person added, "If we truly want to use high-level personnel, it is more realistic to prepare budgets and staffing tables that allow National Assembly institutions, such as the National Assembly Research Service, to secure experts."
Along with improving staff treatment, "preventing abuse" is also cited as an important task. The amendment to the National Assembly Act proposed by Han Ji-ah of the People Power Party specifies and bans harassment within lawmakers' offices, such as verbal abuse, insults, and unfair orders. The bill is pending in a subcommittee of the National Assembly Steering Committee.
A secretary from the Democratic Party said, "Even if only the abuse where lawmakers make staff throw out household food waste or repair toilets disappears, the quality of legislative work will rise significantly."