<Abstract>

Chapter 1.

The Roles and Functions of the National Assembly

Article 40 of Korean Constitution provides "The legislative power is vested in the National Assembly." Hence, the National Assembly submit, deliberate and vote for the bills for their enactment, participate in the amendment of the Constitution, participates in the formation of a treaty and establish the rules of its proceedings and internal regulations. However, the legislative power of the National Assembly has the two limits; Constitution and the principles of the international law. The National Assembly can hold Special Committee on Personnel Hearing to check the president's appointment power of public officers.

The National Assembly has the power to inspect affairs of the state or investigate specific matters of the state. It also has the power to deliberate and decide upon the national budget bill. The members of the National Assembly have some duties as assemblymen while they also have the privileges and immunities as assemblymen. The National Assembly Act has some provisions to ensure the ethical behavior of the members of the National Assembly. The speaker has the power of guard. In order to maintain order inside the National Assembly during the session, the Speaker shall have the power of guard in the National Assembly. As the Constitution stipulates that the term of office of members of the National Assembly is four years, at least, according to the Constitution, the National Assembly could not be dissolved before the completion of its four-year term.

Chapter 2.

The Organization of the National Assembly

Chapter 2 describes the organizations and/or the institutions of the National Assembly, and the respective roles in the legislative process. It describes how the National Assembly came to acquire its current form and structure, focusing on the formal aspects of its operation. In particular, the conditions for and duration of convocation of the National Assembly are explained. The chapter also discusses the historical background behind the adoption of the key institutions of the National Assembly; the political demands at the time of independence, and the subsequent period of authoritarian politics had a strong influence on the adoption of unicameralism and standing committee-based legislature. The chapter also describes the roles and functions of the key players of Korea's National Assembly- the Speaker and the Standing Committees. The roles of the 16 standing committees and extraordinary committees are described in detail. The chapter also explains how political parties form negotiating groups in the National Assembly, and shows why minority political parties have relatively little influence in the legislative arena.

Chapter 3.

The Legislative Process

  The process of law-making illustrates graphically the workings of a country's democracy. In countries that have a strong tradition of democracy, reflecting the public interest is well institutionalized. While the level of public confidence and trust in the National Assembly is rather low in Korea, the chapter shows how this is changing as greater accountability and transparency in the lawmaking process. Korea has elements of both a presidential and parliamentary system; hence lawmaking is possible both by elected legislators and the government. Chapter 3 explains how elected legislators and the government introduce bills in the National Assembly, and the process of bill deliberation in each case. The chapter explains how different interests or conflict of interests are resolved in the process of lawmaking, and how committees play an important role in this regard. The chapter also describes some unique features of Korea's National Assembly such as the Legislative and Judiciary Committee. It also describes the improvements in the National Assembly; it is now possible for the public to obtain information on the legislative activities as well as monitor the performance of individual assemblymen.