National Assembly should prioritize passing proposed bills

One political figure noted that Busan's Gadeokdo New Airport, a focal point of competition between the ruling and opposition parties during the 2021 Busan mayoral by-election, is currently under construction, aiming for an opening in 2029. However, there is little recollection among the public regarding promises made for the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel. When inquired about the progress of the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel to an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, the response received was, "Nothing has been concreted yet." This suggests that the pledge for the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel may gradually fade away without much attention.

There is no necessity to revisit promises made three years ago. Just over a month ago, candidates and political parties competing in the April 10 general elections passionately articulated various pledges. Notably, both ruling and opposition parties unveiled pledges to address the low fertility rate crisis on the same day in January of this year, emphasizing their commitment to overcoming the population decline challenge. These promises included initiatives such as mandating paid 'dad's leave' and offering loans of 100 million won to newlyweds, with the entire amount being written off if they had a third child.

Among the pledges put forward by both the ruling and opposition parties, a notable provision was the automatic initiation of maternity or childcare leave upon application. However, it is worth noting that this provision was submitted to the 21st National Assembly in February of the previous year as an amendment to the Act on Equal Employment Opportunity for Men and Women and Support for Work-Family Balance. This amendment specifies that the request will be deemed permitted if an employee applies for childcare leave and the employer does not clearly express their intention within 14 days.

Despite being submitted to the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee in April of the previous year, the bill languished without any discussion during the standing committee session, which ran from 10:36 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. This session was attended by 14 National Assembly members and 18 Minister and Vice Ministers and Directors of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Notably, the bill remained untouched throughout the day, excluding the 2 hours and 25 minutes adjourned for lunch. Bringing forth a bill as a general election pledge only to have it go unmentioned during committee proceedings can be deemed as misleading at best.

We don’t need to search far to understand why public trust in politics is waning. While politicians often discuss improving people's livelihoods and make appealing promises during election seasons, they fail to follow through with action when it counts. What can the public expect from a National Assembly that repeats promises ahead of elections while neglecting to process proposed bills, particularly on critical issues like addressing the low fertility rate crisis, which impacts the national plan? A recent survey by a civic group revealed that only seven out of 220 bills related to low fertility rate measures were passed in the 21st National Assembly. In this context, it would be more beneficial to engage in meaningful discussions and process bills that have already been proposed, rather than merely making promises to tackle low fertility issues.


조권형 buzz@donga.com