National Assembly of South Korea

National Assembly 국회 國會 Gukhoe
18th National Assembly of Korea
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Park Hee-tae, 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	Saenuri Party (174)      Democratic Party (89)      Liberty Forward Party (15)      Unified Progressive Party (7)      Creative Korea Party (2)      Independents (8)      Vacant (4)
Elections
Last election	April 9, 2008
Meeting place
National Assembly Building, Seoul (37°31′55.21″N 126°54′50.66″E)
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 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. 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  %   Saenuri Party 174 59.0   Democratic United Party 89 30.2   Liberty Forward Party 15 5.1   Unified Progressive Party 7 2.4   Creative Korea Party 2 0.7 Independents 8 2.7 Total*** 295 100.0 Note: * Negotiation groups can be formed by 20 or more members. There are currently 2 negotiation groups in the Assembly, formed by Saenuri Party and Democratic United Party. *** 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 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, 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. 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

Constitution Constitution Government President (list) Lee Myung-Bak Prime Minister (list) Kim Hwang-Sik Cabinet National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae Judiciary Constitutional Court Supreme Court Chief Justice Elections National Election Commission of South Korea Presidential elections 2002, 2007, 2012 Legislative elections 2004, 2008, 2012 Local elections 2002, 2006, 2010 By-elections 2011 Political parties Saenuri, DUP, LFP, UPP, CKP, NPP Related topics Korean reunification Sunshine Policy Administrative divisions Human rights Foreign relations

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First Republic

See also: First Republic of South Korea

Elections for the National Assembly were held under UN supervision on 10 May 1948. The First Republic of South Korea was established on 17 July 1948 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