The political dispute in the National Assembly from the end of last year to the beginning of this year showed the vice of Korean politics. The majority Grand National Party (GNP) members pressed legislation for the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement with their superior voting power without the help of other parties or agreement with rivals. In response to the GNP's conduct, other opposition parties violently protested with fire extinguishers and hammers, which caused an extra session of the National Assembly to approve some of the opposition parties' demands, but this revealed the lack of Korean politicians' political awareness.
The main reason for this situation is basically partisanship. Partisanship is support for one's own party without fair consideration of the opposition parties. Partisanship demands party members be loyal only on their own party. As each Korean political party has its own clear partisanship, the GNP and opposition parties couldn't agree on some issues. In the case of the Korea-U.S. FTA, the GNP argued that legislation for the Korea-U.S. FTA has been discussed for a long time and caused much social cost, so we should form a conclusion. However, opposition parties argued that after preparing measures for the Korea-U.S. FTA perfectly, we should conclude an agreement. Due to differences on that kind of issue, the GNP and opposition parties disputed dramatically in the end.
The BBC broadcast the Korean political dispute in the National Assembly in their news articles and focused on the violent scene of the party members' fight. MSNBC, one of the U.S. cable news channels, also reported the Korean party members' dispute as its main news item. It is a shame that the dispute of Korean politicians can be a global issue.
In the case of the French Parliament, opposition parties object to bills by interrupting proceedings by submitting excessive amendments or heckling. In the Japanese Diet, some slight fights occur but not in violent ways like Korean politicians do. The Diet has its own concrete rules controlling disputes in the Diet. The extreme ways that Korean politicians did in the National Assembly rarely occur in other democratic countries.
Then, isn't there any solution to such political disputes? Some time ago, the GNP proposed a new law called the National Assembly Violence Prevention Bill. This bill mandates any Assemblymen using violence at the National Assembly are to be sentenced to more than one and a half year's imprisonment. The GNP members pressed legislation for the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement with their superior voting power without the help of other parties or agreement with rivals. Though the GNP is the fundamental source of the dispute, opposition parties should be punished by the brand new law. In addition, the GNP and opposition parties should discuss finding the fundamental sources of this violence to prevent such a dispute from happening in the National Assembly.
On the basis of people's trust in them, Assemblymen need to think of their public position as national representatives. Voters and all the Korean people also need to remember they are in the same boat of Korean democracy. Hence, they also should participate in making politics better through continuously exercising their political rights.
