Dispute over speaker keeps lawmakers on virtual strike

Don't look now, fellow red-shirts, but your people's representatives haven't done any work in more than three weeks.

The National Assembly still cannot begin the second half of its four-year tenure. Lee Man-sup's term as speaker ended May 29, but the two main political parties are still squabbling over how to select a new speaker, along with a deputy speaker and committee chairmen.

The Grand National Party, which is the main opposition to the Kim Dae-jung government, holds the barest of majorities, with 132 of the 263 currently occupied seats. It wants a free vote to choose Mr. Lee's successor. The Millennium Democratic Party, which supports the government, is demanding that a Millennium Democrat should become speaker, as its party still is in charge of state affairs.

Under the National Assembly Law, legislators must pick a speaker five days before the termination of the first stage of the National Assembly. Consequently, the lawmakers could be accused of waging an illegal strike.

Meanwhile, bills are not passed, with direct effect on the lives of ordinary Koreans.

Some 23 bills, including one tentatively named "Registration of Money-lenders and Protection of Financial Interest (formerly Interest Limitation Act)," have yet to advance to committee review.

That bill seeks to put the brakes on interest rates on private loans. The Financial Supervisory Service said that annual rates on such loans averaged 166 percent in January and rose to 181 percent in May. The service said that complaints of exorbitant rates rose by 36 percent, from 249 cases in January to 338 cases in May.

Another stalled bill aims to crack down on housing speculation by barring immediate sales of apartment purchase rights.

Since there is no Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee, South Korea's government is getting no guidance on foreign affairs. Perhaps it does not mind.

Some 20 aides and secretaries to the National Assembly speaker and vice speaker will be receiving their monthly wage on Tuesday, although the assembly is idle. Four lawmakers of different parties, who resigned their seats to run in the June 13 local elections, will receive May's salary. Their resignations can only be handled by the speaker.

by Lee Sang-il