National Assembly of South Korea

National Assembly 국회 國會 Gukhoe
18th National Assembly of Korea
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Park Hee-tae[1], Independent since June 8, 2010
Vice Speaker	Chung Eui-hwa, GNP since June 8, 2010
Vice Speaker	Hong Jae-hyong, DEP since June 8, 2010
Structure
Members	299
Political groups	Grand National Party (169)      Democratic Party (87)      Liberty Forward Party (18)      Future Hope Alliance (8)      Democratic Labor Party (6)      Creative Korea Party (2)      New Progressive Party (1)      Independents (5)      Vacant (3)
Elections
Last election	April 9, 2008
Meeting place
National Assembly Building, Seoul
Website
korea.na.go.kr
Footnotes
* Total seats of the National Assembly is regulated as 299. Total seats are to be restored to 299 in 19th National Assembly election.[citation needed].

National Assembly of South Korea
Hangul	국회
Hanja	國會
Revised Romanization	Gukhoe
McCune–Reischauer	Kukhoe

The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) (Gukhoe in Korean language) is a 299-member^[2] unicameral legislature. The latest general elections were held on April 9, 2008. Single-member constituencies comprise 245 of the National Assembly's seats, while the remaining 54 are allocated by proportional representation.^[3] Members serve four-year terms.

The unicameral National Assembly consists of at least 200 members according to the Constitution. In 1990 the National Assembly had 299 seats, 224 of which were directly elected from single-member districts in the general elections of April 1988. Under applicable laws, the remaining seventy-five representatives were appointed by the political parties in accordance with a proportional formula based on the number of seats won in the election. By law, candidates for election to the National Assembly must be at least thirty years of age. As part of a political compromise in 1987, an earlier requirement that candidates have at least five years' continuous residency in the country was dropped to allow Kim Dae Jung, who had spent several years in exile in Japan and the United States during the 1980s, to return to political life. The National Assembly's term is four years. In a change from the more authoritarian Fourth Republic and Fifth Republic (1972–80 and 1980–87, respectively), under the Sixth Republic, the National Assembly cannot be dissolved by the president.

Current composition

See also: South Korean parliamentary election, 2008

Parties in the 18th Assembly of South Korea Group Seats  %   Grand National Party 170 57.4   Democratic Party 84 28.4 Forward and Renewal Alliance*   Liberty Forward Party   Creative Korea Party** 20 18 2 6.8 6.0 0.8   Pro-Park Coalition 5 1.7   Democratic Labor Party 5 1.7   New Progressive Party 1 0.3   Creative Korea Party** 1 0.3 Independents 10 3.4 Total*** 296 100.0 Note: * Negotiation groups can be formed by 20 or more members. There are currently 3 negotiation groups in the Assembly, two are party groups formed by Grand National Party and Democratic Party, and the other one is a solidarity group, jointly formed by Liberty Forward Party and Creative Korea Party. ** One member of Creative Korea Party refused to join Forward and Renewal Alliance group *** 3 Members of the Assembly of Pro-Park Alliance lost their seats due to violation of election law. Seats of proportional representatives lost by violation of election law cannot be succeeded in South Korea, thus total seats of 18th National Assembly also reduced to 296. Source: official website of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea

Legislative violence

From 2004 to 2009, South Korea's National Assembly gained notoriety^[4] as a frequent site for legislative violence. The Assembly first came to the world's attention during a violent dispute on impeachment proceedings for then President Roh Moo-hyun,^[5][6] when open physical combat took place in the Assembly. Since then, the Assembly has been interrupted by periodic conflagrations, piquing the world's curiosity once again in 2009 when Assembly members battled each other with sledgehammers and fire extinguishers.^{[7][8][9][10]} Images of the melee were broadcast around the world.

History

Then President of Russia Vladimir Putin is a guest at a sitting of the National Assembly on 28 February 2001.

South Korean National Assembly in the 1980s'

South Korea
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of South Korea
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Elections
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Related topics
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First Republic

See also: First Republic of South Korea

Elections for the National Assembly were held under UN supervision^[11] on 10 May 1948. The First Republic of South Korea was established on 17 July 1948^[12] when the constitution of the First Republic was established by the Assembly. The Assembly also had the job of electing the President, and elected anti-communist Syngman Rhee as President on 10 May 1948.

Second Republic

See also: Second Republic of South Korea

Third Republic

See also: Third Republic of South Korea

Fourth Republic

See also: Fourth Republic of South Korea

Fifth Republic

See also: Fifth Republic of South Korea

Sixth Republic

See also: Sixth Republic of South Korea

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• National Assembly
• Senate
• House of Commons

References

• U.S. Library of Congress Country Studies

1. ^ Park takes office as Assembly speaker - Daum 미디어다음
2. ^ Article 21, Clause 1 of the Election Law
3. ^ A Look at Election Through Numbers, Korea Times, 2008-04-09.
4. ^ World's Most Unruly Parliaments
5. ^ South Korean President Impeached
6. ^ Impeachment battle
7. ^ Democracy, South Korean-style: MPs blasted with fire extinguishers after trying to break into Parliament with hoses and sledgehammers
8. ^ South Korea lawmakers: Reaching across the aisle with a sledgehammer
9. ^ South Korean politicians use fire extinguishers against opposition
10. ^ Hall of Violence
11. ^ Setting the Stage
12. ^ ICL - South Korea Index

Coordinates: 37°31′43″N 126°55′03″E / 37.52848°N 126.91744°E / 37.52848; 126.91744