Legislative Support Organizations
National Assembly Phone Number : +82-2-788-2114
Legislative support organizations play an active role in strengthening the authority of the
National Assembly Main Homepage : http://www.assembly.go.kr
National Assembly and supporting its functions.
http://www.facebook.com/NationalAssemblyROK
http://twitter.com/news_NA
National Assembly Secretariat (NAS)
Established concurrently with the Constituent Assembly, the National Assembly
Secretariat has been with the National Assembly throughout its history. The function
of the Secretariat is to support overall legislative and parliamentary activities of As-
sembly Members and take care of administrative work of the National Assembly.
From the registration and handling of legislative bills and petitions, assisting the
Assembly meetings, deliberation on bills, budget and settlement of accounts, and
investigation as well as inspection of state administration to providing support for
parliamentary diplomacy, and promotion of National Assembly Broadcasting Station
(NATV) services and the National Assembly, the Secretariat supports all dimensions
of legislative and parliamentary activities.
Furthermore, it drafts bills as required by lawmakers and provides diverse legisla-
tive information by presenting an expert review on the bills examined.
National Assembly Library (NAL)
The National Assembly Library collects, arrang-
es, analyzes and processes reference materials
including general books, dissertations and multi-
media data to provide Members with a variety of
legislative information and the public with access
to its vast resources, serving as treasure house of
knowledge and information.
NAL supports information search and data re-
trieval, researches and translates foreign legisla-
tion and materials, provides Policy Tracking Service
that contains both reports and relevant materials
covering the entire policy-making process from
planning to evaluation, and establishes Internet
Resource DB, thereby making it easier to perform
legislative activities. In addition, the materials are
accessible even at nighttime without any restric-
tions through the late-night material reservation system. As part of NAL’s academic
information cooperation activities, one may read and print out the original database
he or she can get by visiting the National Assembly Library from government agen-
cies, local assemblies, nationwide universities and research institutions listed on the
NAL official homepage, which signed the Agreement on the Mutual Cooperation for
Electronic Information with the National Assembly Library.
The National Assembly Library is open to anyone older than 18 years of age and
college students.
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The National Assembly Television History
broadcasts a message of of the National Assembly
hope to the people
National Assembly Budget Office (NABO)
National Assembly TV
1948
Constituent Assembly Building
The National Assembly Television (NATV), a public broadcasting station (former Central Government Complex)
May 31, 1948 – June 27, 1950
set up in May 2004 to satisfy the people’s right to know, provides a wide September 21, 1953 – May 30, 1954
range of impartial information on the National Assembly’s activities, policy
1950
The National Assembly Budget Office was founded to formulate policies aimed issues and legislative information.
at enhancing parliamentary expertise in examining the budget and settlement of ac- The basic principle of NATV is to broadcast live major Plenary Sessions,
counts, as well as checking and monitoring the executive branch. NABO contributes committee meetings and hearings in an objective and impartial manner,
“Mudeokjeon” at Gyeongnam Provin-
to stronger fiscal control of the National Assembly by conducting analysis on the with no editing or adjustments made to the programs. NATV transmits not cial Government Office Building
budget bill and settlement of accounts, economic outlook at home and abroad, and only such meetings, but also reports on various legislation and current is- (Temporary National Assembly Building)
economic and fiscal policies, and undertaking tax system analysis, tax revenue es- sues with swiftness and accuracy, and suggests high-level alternative policy June 1951 – September 1953
timation, major national program evaluation and mid-and long-term fiscal demand measures. Furthermore, informative programs including cultural programs
analysis. In particular, NABO is committed to conducting research and analyses on and documentaries are also available to the viewers.
various policies and cost estimates for bills upon rising requests by Assembly Mem-
1954
National Assembly Televison
bers or committees, and sharing up-to-date information and analysis techniques with
other organizations through external cooperation.
Taepyongno National Assembly
Building, Seoul (Currently the Seoul
National Assembly Research Service (NARS) Metropolitan Council) The National Assembly of
June 9, 1954 – July 9, 1975
The Republic of Korea
1975
Yeouido National
The National Assembly Research Service was launched to establish the National Assembly Building
Assembly’s own independent and professional knowledge and information network, September 22, 1975 – Present
and respond to Members’ increasing demands for research and analyses as they are
engaged in more legislative activities.
NARS performs activities including research and analyses of legislation and poli-
The path that the National Assembly has taken
cies, response to inquiries for research and analyses by Members and committees,
Liberation of the country came with the end of World War II on August 15, 1945,
identification of the government’s illegal activities as well as areas where policy im-
and because Korea remained a divided country, the Constituent Assembly was
provement is needed, provision of information regarding Members’ Study Groups, and
opened by South Korea alone on May 31, 1948. Comprised of 198 Assembly Members
analysis on trends of foreign legislation as well as provision of relevant information.
in total, the Constituent Assembly passed a resolution on the founding Constitution
and promulgated it based on a unicameral legislature and the presidential system
Staff of Assembly Members and policy researchers of in one and a half months since its inception. By electing the first President through
a negotiation group indirect voting, it set up the foundation to establish the government of the Republic
Staff of Assembly Members supports individual lawmakers in their activities re- of Korea on August 15 of the same year.
lated to legislation, budget and settlement Since the opening of the Constituent Assembly up to the present, as the represen-
of accounts, government interpellation ses- tative body of the people, the National Assembly led the progress of parliamentary
sions, and investigation and inspection of democracy through upheaval and ordeals at home and abroad, such as the 1950-53
state administration. Policy researchers of Korean War, the April 19 Student Revolution of 1960, May 18 Gwangju Democratiza-
the negotiation group support Members of tion Movement of 1980, the June 10 Democratic Struggle of 1987 and the Asian
each negotiation group in their legislative Financial Crisis in December 1997, and is striving to create a wider forum for demo-
activities. cratic discussions and realize parliamentary politics that is productive.
2011-12-26 �� 11:45:43
 Members of the National Assembly Activities

The National Assembly constitutes Members elected by the people The National Assembly is at the center of state administration.

Legislative activities that make laws
The National Assembly is a cradle of parliamentary democracy where law is made
and policies formulated based on various opinions of the public. It deliberates on
motions including legislative bills, budget bills and settlement of accounts. Mem-
bers of the National Assembly and the Government are entitled to propose or submit
legislative bills.
| Procedures for deliberating on legislative bills |
Bill introduction (Submission)
Examination by the relevant standing committees
Financial activities that deliberate on and review
the national budget
The National Assembly oversees the national budget and supervises its adminis-
tration by deliberating on budget bills and settlement of accounts submitted by the
executive for transparent and fair management of national finances. The government
drafts and presents a budget bill to the Assembly, and then relevant Standing Com-
mittees examine the bill before it undergoes to a comprehensive examination by the
Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. The final step is for the budget bill to be
sent to the Plenary for a vote. The Assembly deliberates the settlement of accounts
to confirm whether or not the government has executed budget bills approved the
previous year with due process and in a reasonable manner.
Oversight and checking of the executive branch for right
policy-making process
The job of the National Assembly is to supervise the executive by means of inves-
tigation and inspection of state administration, and confirmation hearing. Respective
standing committees of the National Assembly investigate the overall state of na-
tional administration for 20 days during the regular session on an annual basis, while
a special committee or standing committee inspects specific matters of national con-
cern upon the request of the Assembly membership.
Candidates for major posts including Prime Minister, Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, President of the Constitutional Court, and Chairman of the Board of Audit and
Inspection are subject to confirmation hearings to verify qualifications before ap-
pointment.
Parliamentary diplomacy that promotes Korea and serves
national interests
Parliamentary diplomacy pursued by the National Assembly aimed at discussing
major diplomatic issues at hand contributes to establishing the peace regime on the
Korean Peninsula, improving mutual understanding, and enhancing cooperation among
countries.
Inter-parliamentary diplomacy takes the form of official invitations, courtesy calls,
summit-level talks between parliaments, official overseas visits by parliamentarians,
exchange of visits between inter-parliamentary councils, and hosting of and participa-
tion in international conferences. The Korean National Assembly has played a pivotal
role in displaying Korea’s potential and strength to the entire world by hosting and at-
tending large-scale international conferences including Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU),
Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union(APPU)
and G20 Seoul Speakers’ Consultation.

Examination of legality and wording by the

Legislation and Judiciary Committee

 Digital Plenary Chamber

299 Members representing the people
The Assembly is composed of 299 Members elected to a four-year term, among
whom 245 Members are elected from single-member constituencies, while the remain-
ing 54 Members gain office through the proportional representation system. The Mem-
bers are subject to the duty to maintain integrity and decency, to give priority to national
interests, and are prohibited from engaging in conflict of interests and from holding
Plenary Session, Committees, and Negotiation Groups Deliberation in the Plenary Session
Major organizations composed of Members of the National Assembly include
Plenary Session, Committees, and Negotiation Groups. The Plenary Session consist-
ing of the entire membership is convened to deliberate and vote on all the items Transfer to the Government ▲ Special Committee on Investigation
introduced and submitted to the National Assembly. A committee is comprised of into the Sinking of the South Korean
several lawmakers to conduct preliminary deliberation of a bill prior to being brought Warship Cheonan

concurrent offices. Assemblymen are also entitled to the right to enjoy parliamentary
immunity against apprehension and liability for their speech in the National Assembly.
One Speaker and two Vice Speakers are elected by the Plenary Session through
secret vote to serve a two-year term each. As the leader of the legislative body, the
Speaker represents the National Assembly, presides over the Plenary Session and
oversees the administration of the National Assembly. To maintain impartiality in
proceedings, the Speaker is not allowed to affiliate with any political party during his
or her term of office. In case the Speaker is unable to carry out the duties within his
or her term, a Vice Speaker reserves the right to act in his or her place.
before the Plenary. The Assembly forms 16 Standing Committees and 2 Permanent ▲ Association of Secretaries General
Promulgation ◀ Government officials present at the
Special Committees. Each Member, except the Speaker, sits on the Standing Com- of Parliaments
National Assembly
mittee depending on his or her special interest and expertise.
Negotiation Groups exist to facilitate the proceedings of the National Assembly.
Any political party with 20 or more Assembly Members may organize a separate
negotiation group, while 20 or more Members who do not belong to a specific nego-
tiation group may join together to form a negotiation group of their own.

| Convocation of the National Assembly | | 16 Standing Committees and 2 Permanent Special Committees |
Sessions of the National Assembly consist of regular session and extraordinary ses- •House Steering Committee •Knowledge Economy Committee
sion. The regular session convenes on September 1st of each year and may not exceed •Strategy and Finance Committee •Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Committee
100 days, while extraordinary sessions meet in even-numbered months (except August, •Public Administration and Security Committee •Special Committee on Budget and Accounts
•Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Com- •National Policy Committee ◀ The National Assembly where
October and December) beginning the first day of each month upon the request of the
mittee •National Defense Committee there are argument, compromise,
President of the Republic or a quarter or more of the entire membership and may not
•Environment and Labor Committee •Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting and research and discussion
exceed 30 days. The Plenary decides on the session, which may be extended. A session
•Gender Equality and Family Committee Communications Committee
refers to the period from convocation to closing in which the National Assembly can
•Legislation and Judiciary Committee •Health and Welfare Committee
conduct its activities, and the session is decided by the Plenary immediately upon con- •Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee •Intelligence Committee
vocation. Committees operate regardless of whether or not the Plenary is in session. •Education, Science and Technology Committee
▲ G20 Seoul Speakers’ Consultation
•Special Committee on Ethics

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