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| ▲ The logo of the National Assembly of South Korea. Provided by wikiwand.com. |
The latest general election held in South Korea had been evaluated as the trial of the people toward the current president, as well as the nation’s government; for the result turned out to be that the opposing party is now a majority when it comes to the members of the South Korean National Assembly. It seems explicit that the public, who constantly adjured the government for intercommunication among the nation as a whole, wants the governor of the country to put more emphasis on interaction and communication. Though the outcome remains to be seen, one thing seems to be clear: communication with the public, not to mention within the constituting members of the parties themselves, seems inevitable.
The general election of the 20th National Assembly of South Korea, which recently took place on April 13, shocked many people for its drastic change with regards to the comprising parties of the members that constitute the parliament. The Saenuri Party, currently the ruling party, only won 122 seats, failing to maintain a majority in the house. On the other hand, the Minjoo Party of Korea turned out to be the dominant party within this nation, maintaining 123 votes. “For the first time in 16 years, the opposition party won a majority in the general election,” noted Dr. Kim Hoon (Department of Political Science and International Relations, Kyung Hee University).
The 20th National Assembly: A Stern Judgment of the People
To take a closer look at how the 20th National Assembly is constituted, one noticeable characteristic is that there are now three leading parties that constitute the parliament as follows: the Saenuri Party, the Minjoo Party of Korea, and finally, the People’s Party. To be more specific, according to the Central Election Management Committee (CEMC), the People’s Party won 38 seats, an influential figure considering that the former national assembly was explicitly two-sided.
Here, a notable number of experts claim that the flow of the political situation within Korea would vastly and significantly be determined by which stance the People’s Party decides to take. The People’s Party was formed by Ahn Chul Soo, who had formerly been a member of the Minjoo Party of Korea, shortly before the general election took place. Their goal was to create a group of House representatives large enough to play a significant legislative bargaining position within the Assembly. “While the Saenuri Party and the Minjoo Party have formed a conflicting composition, the People’s party is expected to carry out a decisive, crucial role within the parliament, for that party is now in control of the casting vote,” said Dr. Kim.
The Three Leading Parties: Their Expected Stance Henceforward
Clearly, the latest general election turned out to be a complete rout of the ruling party. “Governmental-wise, it is expected that the lame duck session would accelerate, inflicting burden on the remaining policies that President Park had suggested before,” Kim said. Adding to this, the Saenuri Party, radical changes are likely to take place, as it is to elect a new party leader, as well as the member of the supreme council; Kim Moo Sung, the former representative, and Kim Tae Ho, the
prior supreme representative, both resigned from their post as a method of taking responsibility for their loss.
Furthermore, in the case of the Minjoo Party of Korea, which dominated the votes with regards to Seoul as well as to the surrounding metropolitan area, the current political system would remain as it is, at least for the time being. “This is because the Minjoo Party of Korea would endeavor to make
sure that it secures the position as the leading opposition party,” Dr. Kim explained. In addition, their significant loss within the Honam area is also predicted to be a concern. “On the other side of the coin, the People’s Party is expected to put much effort in taking the initiative henceforth,” said Kim.
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| ▲ The National Assembly of South Korea. Provided by wikiwand.com. |
Any Place for the Younger Generations?
Even before the 20th general election took place, a great number of prominent policies in regards to the welfare of the younger generation had been proposed. Almost every single party that ran for candidacy suggested competitively that they would actively engage in solving the so-called youth problems, including unemployment, residence problems, and the everincreasing tuition fees. “However, their veracity is highly doubtful, concerning the current state of affairs of all the parties,” said Dr. Kim.
To elaborate upon this point, while the younger generation in their twenties and thirties constitute 34.1 percent of all the electorates in this nation, the percentage of those generation compose a mere one percent within the National Assembly. In fact, the number of congressmen has fallen to historic lows, as it is expected that no more than five people in their twenties and thirties would become members of the parliament. “Asserting from the fact that the younger congressmen were those most eager in sponsoring policies that penetrates the needs of their own generation, the
situation is quite troublesome,” added Kim.
Communication Among all: Engaging in the Rights of all People
All in all, apart from anything else, the 20th general election of South Korea once again proved the obvious fact that should so rightfully be taken for granted: that a country belongs to its people. The drastic alteration in the National Assembly had been a command from the public to strive for a difference, to strive for a significant change. In the newly-formed structure of the opposition party winning a majority, as well as the threeway leading parties, its members are urged to communicate, to compromise, and to negotiate. “With the result of the general election as a momentum, we look forward to establishing continuous, sustainable social institutions, beyond all ideological conflicts,” Kim concluded.
