PSPD in English Civil-Political 2010-10-01   3999

PSPD selects 42 policies that the National Assembly should investigate at the 2010 parliamentary inspection

PSPD selects 42 policies that the National Assembly should investigate without failure at the 2010 parliamentary inspection of government ministries and agencies.



The annual parliamentary inspection of government ministries and agencies is intended to give the National Assembly a chance to check the administration by reviewing the overall performance fulfilled over the past year by the government, state-funded institutions and public agencies to enhance people’s lives, democracy and freedom, and peace and human rights to demand improvement in the future. On the occasion of the 2010 parliamentary inspection due soon, the PSPD evaluated major government policies implemented by the Lee Myeong-bak administration over the past year, and reviewed policy issues that emerged as significant current affairs. Based on this, the PSPD has selected a total of 42 policies which the 2010 parliamentary inspection needs to ask for correction or substantial countermeasures as follows:

First of all, the Four-River Project should be fully inspected, which the incumbent administration is pushing ahead with pouring enormous amount of money, even going against the will of the people. To be specific, whether the project is related to the recent jump in grocery prices should be investigated, followed by immediate countermeasures. The authorities in charge should be held responsible for passing the eight trillion won’s worth of construction costs to the state-run Korea Water Resources Corporation(KWRC). Also, it is required to scrap the Special Act on Water-friendly Zone, a legislation enacted to compensate the KWRC for its investment in the Four Rivers Project. In addition, it is necessary to thoroughly review the investigation results by the Fair Trade Commission on the bid rigging allegations among those companies involved in the Four-River Project.


In terms of people’s lives, it is required to closely inspect the administration’s education policies which are under criticism for encouraging competition and ranking, and private tutoring. The problems resulting from student loan program introduced this year to ease heavy tuition burdens of college students, should be thoroughly investigated. The inspection should also investigate whether the administration has put in place countermeasures against the skyrocketing prices of key-money leases, and closely discuss legislations regulating super supermarkets which are threatening small merchants’ right to livelihood. It is imperative to review the process the minimum cost of living was determined, and to request the administration submit plans to expand national and public nursery facilities. Recent critical issues of concerns to the people including the chemical management at a Samsung Semi-conductor plant. and the activities of the Committee for Private School Conflict Mediation, which paved a way for corrupt private school foundations to return to management, should be also thoroughly inspected.


The 2010 parliamentary inspection should investigate the unfair management of the June 2nd Local Election by the National Election Commission, call on the administration to stop its attempts for a number of lawsuits against citizens which aim at blocking criticisms of the government, order a thorough investigation into the government officials’ illegal surveillance of private citizens, and request responsibility for the aborted presidential nomination in the latest cabinet reshuffle. Included in the key concerns in the 2010 parliamentary inspection is the wrong judgment by the prosecution’s Fact-finding Delegation over the prosecutors who allegedly enjoyed ‘sponsors’ support’. The inspection should also check the implementation of the prosecution’s reform measures against such practices.


Information release and parliamentary investigation should be requested for the Cheonan warship sinking, over which doubts still remain among the people. A thorough verification should be performed over the validity of troop dispatch to Afghanistan, along with the appropriateness of the duties. In addition, problems should be raised over the diplomatic and legal validity of the unilateral sanction by the government on Iran, along with possible adversary effects on national economy. Lastly, the National Assembly should carry out analysis on the Korea-US FTA effect on each industry under conditions changed since the global economic crisis, and raise questions over the re-negotiation(adjustment) of the Korea-US FTA agreed upon by the leaders of Seoul and Washington, coupled with the validity of early verification.


The PSPD plans to monitor whether the 42 selected policies announced today are fully investigated at the 2010 parliamentary inspection, conducting evaluations afterwards based on the monitoring.



42 policies the National Assembly should investigate


<The Four-River Project>


1. Inquire closely the Korea Water Resources Corporation to take responsibility for dumping working expenses(8 trillion won) and check the improvement of financial soundness of the corporation
2. Confirm the position of the Korea water resources corporation and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs about ‘the special law of water area’ to supplement the four-river project’s expenses for the Korea water resources corporation
3. Confirm the result of Fair Trade Commission’s investigation about the doubt on bid rigging by corporations participating in the four-river project
4. Investigation into the effects of the four-river project on soaring prices of vegetable, and the list of budget which was passed to each government department besides the budget for the four-river project


<Reinforcement of financial soundness: Enacting Laws on conditions for exemption of prelimanary validity >

5. Closely inquire the failure of ‘construction of global college campus’ that was designated as a ‘state-driven project’ of Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun and requrie enacting laws on conditions for exemption of prelimanary validity


<Measures on educational expenses and policies>


6. Raise questions about educational policies which cause more financial burden for private education and check
7. Correct the problems of ICL(Income Contingent Loan), implement pledges about awarding a scholarship for low income family
8. Ask why there is no advance in pledges to cut down tuition in half
9. Expand the free education to whole high schools more than vocational high school
10. Urge to check the Committee for Private School Conflict Mediation that restored a corrupt school foundation to its former position and request to scrape out educational corrupts

<Betterment of publicness on land and houses and polies for housing stability of common people>

11. Call for special actions for skyrocketing rental deposits and trouble in finding rental houses without monthly rent
12. Reexamine the prevalence of new-town and redevelopment projects and find out alternative solutions
13. Investigate the Fair Trade Commission’s researches about high interest rates for mortgage despite the fact that low interest rates for bank deposits were locked in for a long period of time

<Find out the solution for SSM threatening merchants’ right to live >


14. Question the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s attempt to block the passage of a law for tightening regulations on SSMs(super supermarket)
15. Reinforce the SSM arbitration currently in name only and urge to proclaim directions that chained SSMs should be included in the system of arbitration
16. Cut the credit card fee additionally for credit card member stores (small and middle sized stores)
17. Amend a law for protection of commercial building tenants and try to introduce a system of unemployment aid for closed small business owners


<Childcare policy>


18. Withdraw plans to decontrol the childcare expenses and urge to expand and improve national and public childcare facilities
19. Urge introducing universal child benefit


<Policy for supporting low income family >


20. Inspect the processes of settling the minimum cost of living and check the contents of the measurement of the minimum cost of living
21. Ask the reasons why the number of recipients of basic living subsidies was reduced in budget of the following year
22. Investigate the plans to abolish the duty of supporting in basic living subsidies.


<Pension policy>


23. Make the position clear on reducing basic old-age pension



<The chemical control system at Samsung Semi-conductor plant>


24. Investigate the problems and the control system of chemicals at Samsung Semi-conductor plant

<Actual conditions of public organizations on observing Labor Relations Act>


25. Check whether public organizations follow Labor Relations Act and check the real condition of public organization’s work supervision


<Problem of unfair management by the National Election Commission in the last local election>


26. Point out the National Election Commission’s biased crackdown on ‘Four-river project and Free School Meal’
27. Ask the National Election Commission’s passive dealing with the National Police Agency and the vice-minister of education’s suspicious interventions in the election of top education officials
28. Point out the problem of invading the freedom of expression on political opinion by monitoring twitter and regulating vote-encouraging activities


<Problems of suppressing the freedom of expression>


29. Stop filing a ‘law suit for threatening people’ to suppress the freedom that people can criticize the state
30. check the Korea Communications Standards Commission’s standards of the Internet and reduce the range of control


<Problems of public servants’ ethics: illegal surveillance of civilians by the Prime Minister’s Office, limitation on retirees’ employment and etc.>


31. Reveal the truth of the illegal surveillance of civilians and inquire the destorying of document without permission
32. Inquire the failure of cabinet reshuffle on Augest 8 and evaluate how to improve personnel appraisal system
33. Check out the real status of restriction on retired public officials’ employment, and discuss how to reform the system

※ PSPD published a detailed monitoring report about the restriction on employment after retirement on September, 30.


<Government Intervention in elecion such as intervention by the police and a new device for controlling the protesters


34. Get to the bottom of the processes and truth of the police’s intervention in the election of top education officials
35. Stop introducing a new device like long range acoustic device(LRAD), multipurpose firing gear for controlling protesters


<Reckless Prosecution and assessment of the investigation of sponsor-prosecutors>

36. Stop abusing the article of false communication in the Telecommunications Act and reckless prosecution by the prosecution
37. Point out the fault of the investigation results about ‘Sponsor-prosecutor’ done by the Special Prosecution and inspect whether corretive measures have been carried out

<Improvement to access lawyers’ disciplinary information>


38. Point out citizens cannot access  disciplinary information on lawyers and urge to improve the system


<Investigation of the Ministry of National Defense’s report about the causes of sinking of the Cheonan warship>


39. The National Assembly should investigate the Ministry of National Defense’s report about the causes of sinking of the Cheonan warship which has rasied suspicion in and out of the country. Hold the ministry of national defense responsible for covering up and setting limits to the relevant information


<About dispatching to Afghanistan again>


40. Check the validity of dispatching PRT(Provincial Reconstruction Team), and check the purpose, budget, possibility of realization of plans of PRT


 <Korean government taking the US’s aggressive sanction on Iran >


 41. Investigate the validity, effectiveness, legitimacy of the Korean government’s policy to comply with the USA’s request which is beyond the resolution of what the U.N. Security Council decided. Reappraise the unexpected additional expenses caused by unbalanced diplomacy with the US


 <Validity of early ratification and the renegotiation of Korea-US FTA>


42. Check the so called ‘settling the controversial issues on Korea-US FTA’ and start to discuss how to re-examine current agreement in the National Assembly

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