In the National Assembly, the first two years, when the original formation is first set after a general election, are called the first half, and the next two years are called the second half. The 22nd National Assembly has also recently moved into forming the second half after electing the speaker and vice speakers. It is said that economic standing committees are popular among lawmakers from both parties this second half as well. On the 16th, a political source said, "Because the second half of the National Assembly is two years before the next general election, there is a recurring trend of preferring economic standing committees that can secure district projects and budgets."
◇ Economic standing committees that allow district-tailored bills and budgets
Before the floor leaderships of both parties begin negotiations on forming the second half of the National Assembly, lawmakers submit their "standing committee preferences." They list first to third choices. Based on this, the floor leadership assigns each lawmaker to a standing committee reflecting internal guidelines.
According to multiple National Assembly officials, in forming the second half this time, most lawmakers preferred economic standing committees such as the ▲ Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee ▲ Agriculture. Food. Rural Affairs. Oceans. and Fisheries Committee ▲ Trade. Industry Energy. SMEs. and Startups Committee ▲ National Policy Committee ▲ Ministry of Economy and Finance Planning Committee.
Economic standing committees have an advantage for tending to electoral districts ahead of the next general election. Lee Cheol-kyu of the People Power Party (Donghae, Taebaek, Samcheok and Jeongseon, Gangwon), who chairs the industry committee, introduced an amendment to the Special Act on the Development of Abandoned Mine Areas allowing duty-free shops in abandoned mine areas as soon as the 22nd National Assembly began. Also, Huh Sung-moo of the Democratic Party of Korea (Seongsan, Changwon, South Gyeongsang), a member of the industry committee, introduced an amendment to the National Advanced Strategic Industries Act last Oct. to support small modular reactors (SMRs), a specialized industry in Changwon.
The Land Committee, a popular standing committee among lawmakers, handles budgets for regional social overhead capital (SOC) such as roads and railways. When the Land Committee reviewed the supplementary budget in April in response to the Middle East war, the Democratic Party side increased 700 million won for establishing the basic plan to extend Subway Line No. 5, while the People Power Party side added 14 billion won for the purchase of additional spare trains for the Daegu metropolitan railway. The agriculture and fisheries committee is also considered a good standing committee for lawmakers whose districts are in rural and fishing areas to handle district petitions.
Lawmakers' legislative activities, including standing committee work, are all reflected in the screening for nominations in the next general election. A ruling-party official said, "As the 22nd National Assembly has rounded the halfway point, lawmakers cannot help but consider the next general election," adding, "Economic standing committees are advantageous for publicizing legislative activity, and lawmakers seem to think they help with legislative achievements and district management."
The Special Committee on Budget & Accounts, which will start soon during the regular session and decides next year's budget, is also cited as a committee lawmakers hope to join. During the wartime supplementary budget review, projects whose funding was increased at the budget committee stage amounted to about 4.2 trillion won. Regional projects unrelated to responding to the Middle East war, such as national highway construction, were included without even going through standing committee review. A former lawmaker said, "If you become a ruling and opposition secretary on the budget committee, you can wield influence to direct fairly large sums into your own or other lawmakers' district budgets."
By contrast, preference for the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, the gateway for all bills and effectively the "upper house," has reportedly dropped sharply. Although it is a standing committee where an individual lawmaker can showcase presence, frequent partisan strife and meetings held at any time have increased the burden on lawmakers. Han Dong-hoon, an independent lawmaker whose assignment to the judiciary committee had been discussed, is also said to have listed economic standing committees such as the National Policy Committee among his second-half preferences.