The National Assembly, Safe from Restructuring?

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The National Assembly, Safe from Restructuring?

Mrs. Jang, an aide of Representative Lee Sang Man (United Liberal Democrats) is actually Rep. Lee's wife. The National Assembly Secretariat has paid more than 40 million won to her since January 1997. However, Mrs. Jang is not listed in the National Assembly's official listing as Lee's aide which is open to the public. Instead, only Lee Byung Soo is registered as Lee Sang Man's aide.
Rep. Kim Chan Jin, a lawyer, made a secretary from his private law office an aide although she does not work at the Assembly. She receives her salary from the National Assembly. Additionally, Rep. Suh registered three party officials as his aides thus enabling them to receive their salaries from the public purse.
Many representatives spend National Assembly funds for private use by sly expedients. They registered people as their aides but they present other people to the public to hide their malfeasance. Some representatives make their offices a 'family business'. The hiring of family members as aides is illegal in the U.S. and Germany. Korean representatives have no regard for the principle.
Aside from the unfair practise of nepotism and using public money for private gain a more serious concern is that these practises result in a financial drain of the National Assembly's operations. A representative aide said, 'Many representatives use three or five aides for their private use.'
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