By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff reporter
National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae said Thursday that he would do everything in his power to help the legislative activities of lawmakers so they can become globally competent legislators.
The six-term lawmaker was elected speaker in a plenary session Tuesday receiving 236 of 249 votes cast, the highest number since 1994.
"I'll strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and assist lawmakers to play a bigger role in the international community," Park, 72, said in an interview with The Korea Times and its sister paper the Seoul Economic Daily, at his office.
Park said he expects National Assemblymen to not only contribute to setting the agenda for the upcoming G-20 Seoul Summit in November, but also to lead in finding solutions for global issues with politicians around the world.
He said parliamentary diplomacy has become more important than ever as Korea now stands on the threshold of joining the ranks of advanced countries in the face of accelerating globalization.
"I plan to invest more in lawmakers who wish to be trailblazers in parliamentary diplomacy and encourage them to vigorously carry out security, energy and resource diplomacy for the national interest," the speaker said.
He is also mulling sending legislators abroad for long-term studies to allow them to learn about the legislative systems of other countries firsthand.
Park said he will stop the construction of any additional buildings in the compound of the National Assembly during his two-year tenure in order to secure the financial means. He hopes this will nurture politicians to have global standards and encourage them to focus on legislative activities rather than raising political funds, sometimes using illegal methods.
"I doubt there is a single lawmaker who wants to receive bribes for personal gain," he said. "But some end up accepting them as they are pressured to collect additional funding to cover the expenses of their activities. We need a system to stop such unfortunate, or often, inevitable incidents."
Many lawmakers are reportedly suffering from financial difficulties as most of them end up spending more than what they earn. Their annual salary is roughly 113 million won ($92,000). The amount of political funds that each lawmaker raised last year was on average 138 million won, down by 35 percent from the previous year.
Park pointed out that the outcome of the June 2 elections showed that the people want a major change in domestic politics.
He was, however, skeptical on the view that further legislative measures are necessary to make the parliament function properly.
"The Constitution sufficiently guarantees the National Assembly to keep the administration in check," Park said.
He claimed the legislature has as much authority as those of the U.S. Congress to carry out parliamentary hearings, audits and inspections of ministries and government agencies and thoroughly review the budget.
"I don't plan to introduce a new system to gain public support. I believe the best and more beneficial outcome can be achieved by adhering to basic principles."