In the 22nd National Assembly, 50 disciplinary motions against lawmakers have already been introduced before the term has even reached its halfway point. However, none has yet resulted in an actual disciplinary action, prompting criticism that the system for disciplining lawmakers is effectively toothless.
Looking back at past National Assemblies, the introduction of disciplinary motions against lawmakers has steadily increased. There were 39 in the 19th Assembly, 47 in the 20th, and 51 in the 21st. In the 22nd Assembly, 50 motions had already been filed as of Mar. 13, even before the midpoint of the term. As conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties intensify, the number of motions targeting lawmakers from the other side is increasing.
Under the National Assembly Act, lawmakers may be disciplined if they: ▲ violate constitutional duties of lawmakers ▲ violate bans on concurrent positions and engaging in for-profit work ▲ violate obligations to report conflicts of interest ▲ or make remarks in plenary sessions or committees that insult others or mention private lives. Disciplinary measures range from a "warning in an open session" to "suspension from attendance for up to 30 days" and "expulsion." Except for cases such as occupying the speaker's chair or a committee chair's seat, discipline is generally decided through deliberation by the Special Committee on Ethics and a vote in the plenary session.
The problem is that, unlike the number of motions introduced, cases that lead to actual punishment are exceedingly rare. In the 19th Assembly, all submitted motions were scrapped due to expiration of the term or were withdrawn. The same result was repeated in the 20th Assembly. In the 21st Assembly, the only case was a motion against lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon, submitted over actions including occupying the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair's seat during the so-called "complete deprivation of prosecution's investigative powers" standoff, which passed the plenary and resulted in a 30-day suspension from attendance. However, because that case involved occupying the chair's seat, it proceeded quickly as the motion went directly to a plenary vote without deliberation by the Special Committee on Ethics.
As a result, cases that are merely filed with the ethics panel and then fizzle out have been repeated. Even after a motion is filed, if the ruling and opposition parties do not agree to convene a meeting, the review itself does not proceed. Taking advantage of this, parties submit motions while controversy is hot, but effectively neutralize deliberations by not holding meetings once political attention fades over time. In particular, during the 20th Assembly, as the Special Committee on Ethics became nonpermanent during the organization of the Assembly, reviews of disciplinary motions against lawmakers and the like have been delayed by postponing the committee's formation or, after formation, not holding meetings.
In practice, there is also criticism in political circles that submitting disciplinary motions is effectively used as a "showy political offensive card" to pressure the other party. A political source said, "Since disciplinary discussions are likely to be delayed or scrapped at the end of the term anyway, motions are filed for show rather than with real expectations of discipline."
In the 22nd Assembly as well, motions continue to be submitted, but actual deliberations are not taking place. A disciplinary request against former Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, who was nominated last July as candidate for minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family but faced allegations of tax evasion and abuse of aides, and a motion against Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok, who stirred controversy with remarks related to women's bodies during a televised presidential debate in May last year, were both filed but remain pending.
Recently, filings of disciplinary motions have continued. On the 10th, the People Power Party filed a motion against lawmaker Park Sun-won of the Democratic Party of Korea. This followed a shouting match between ruling and opposition lawmakers after a proposal to recommend Chun Young-sik as a candidate for Commissioner of the Korea Communications Standards Commission was voted down at the National Assembly plenary on the 26th of last month, during which Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won shouted "Hey, you punk" at People Power Party lawmaker Park Chung-gwon and others, leading to a heated exchange.
Experts say institutional reforms are needed, such as introducing a structure that allows outside participants to take part in reviews. Lee Jun-han, a professor of political science and international relations at the University of Incheon, said, "Because lawmakers must discipline one another, the perception that 'I could be next' strongly affects the process," adding, "This has created a culture of reluctance toward discipline." He added, "In some countries, including the United Kingdom, outside figures participate to keep the legislature in check, and Korea also needs a disciplinary process involving outside commissioners."