Assembly challenges ruling to disclose details of special activity funds
Three floor leaders from National Assembly's negotiation blocs pose before having a meeting to discuss the special activity funds for the parliament and Assembly schedules for the second half of this year at the National Assembly, Wednesday. From left are floor leaders; Kim Kwan-young of Bareunmirae Party, Hong Young-pyo of Democratic Party of Korea and Kim Sung-tae of Liberty Korea Party. / Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
The National Assembly has appealed a court decision last month to disclose details of the so-called special activity funds for lawmakers, which they could spend freely without having to provide receipts.
The move is likely to draw heavy public criticism because the Assembly has vowed efforts to secure transparency for such funds _ while some parties vowed to abolish them.
According to a court document, for three years from 2011, around 8 billion won ($7 million) was given to lawmakers in special activity funds.
Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang once emphasized that the undocumented funds are not desirable in the Assembly, saying, “The phrase 'pocket money' should not be used in this world.”
According to latest data by the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Wednesday, former Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, then floor leader of conservative Hannara Party and Saenuri Party, received 6.23 billion won ($5.58 million) during the given period while Rep. Park Jie-won, then floor leader of Democratic Unity Party (DUP), received 5.91 billion won.
Meanwhile, the Assembly Secretariat also refused Wednesday to reveal the list of lawmakers who are under investigation by the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission over whether they violated the anti-graft law.
“Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang will refer the results to the special committee on ethics according to the request by the anti-corruption commission when the institutions supervised by the Assembly submit the related documents,” said Lee Gye-seong, an Assembly spokesperson said Wednesday.
On July 27, the commission said that there is a possibility that 38 lawmakers, including the Assembly speaker, and 16 Assembly employees have violated the anti-graft law by taking overseas business trip paid by government organizations that were subject to the National Assembly's inspection.
Civic organizations and minor parties are pushing for the abolition of those funds for years insisting it has been used as lawmakers' pocket money. The major parties are reluctant to take action on it.
Usually the nation's spy agency has a budget allocated to a special activity fund and the agents do not need to report what the money is used for because their work often involves secret activities. But high-profile lawmakers, such as major party leaders and standing committee chiefs, also receive special activity funds for “research or parliament diplomacy purposes” according to the law.
Meanwhile, three floor leaders from negotiation blocs came up with the measures to submit receipts on all special activity funds. They plan to finalize the measures by 2019 budget. However, the minor Bareunmirae Party has decided to abolish the specialty funds and the two major parties will submit the receipts.