No Improvements At All in Diplomatic Activities of Lawmakers

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No Improvements At All in Diplomatic Activities of Lawmakers

opengirok 2013. 2. 20. 15:54

There are some lawmakers that disappointed citizens from the beginning of the New Year. In addition to passing the appropriation bill after the year is over, the nine lawmakers of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts left for a touristic overseas business trip the very next day. Although they apologized for their untimely and causeless trip, the problem of touristic overseas business trips doesn’t seem to get improved at all.

<Source: Naver Encyclopedia / The above image has no relevance with the article>

In 2011, the Center for Freedom of Information (CFOI) requested information disclosure about overseas business trips of lawmakers. Having looked at reports submitted after business trips, the majority of the reports made it difficult to believe that the schedules they carried out are related to public duties. Moreover National Assembly Speaker, Park Hee-tae used 330 million won for his 9 night 11 days trip with tens of attendants.

We visited the National Assembly at that time to see materials such as receipts that can be the proof of the budget spent on diplomatic activities. However, we had to go through a ridiculous experience since they suddenly changed their words that documentary evidence of budget spending on diplomatic activities cannot be disclosed. We could receive the documentary evidence only after sending an official letter that asks the secretary general for disclosure. On top of spending tens of millions of won, their trick to keep secret how the money was used fosters a bigger doubt that they might have not carried out diplomatic activities properly.

Two years later, are diplomatic activities of lawmakers conducted in an appropriate and transparent way? A request for information disclosure was made with regard to diplomatic activities of lawmakers between 2011 and 2013. Having looked at the information disclosed by National Assembly Secretariat,

<2012 Budget on Assembly’s Diplomatic Business>

Unit: 1 million won

	Budget	Spent	Remaining
Assembly members’ diplomacy(A)	4,639	3,976	663
- overseas travel expense	3,396	2,889
- business operation expense	1,243	1,087
International Meeting (B)	1,169	905
- overseas travel expense	813	718	264
- business operation expense	356	187
Total (A+B)	5,808	4,881	927
Business expenses (overseas travel expense + business operation expense) are used for Assembly members’ overseas visits(or attendance at international meetings), invitation, holding international meetings and exchange programs with Assembly Secretariat

It was revealed that 4.8 billion won out of 5.8 billion won was used in 2012 including diplomatic activities of Assembly members (overseas travel expense + business operation expense) and international meetings (overseas travel expense + business operation expense).

The business expenses include expenses for overseas visits, invitation and hosting international meetings and exchange programs with Assembly Secretariat. They notified that the expense purely used at diplomatic visits (inc. attendance at international meetings) cannot be disclosed since it conflicts with their decision of partial disclosure.

The number of cases for diplomatic activities (diplomatic visits and attendance at international meetings) of Assembly members is 61 in 2011, 46 in 2012 and 10 by Jan 24, 2013. (The dramatic decline in diplomatic activities is allegedly due to the general election and presidential election.)

<2011-2013 Diplomatic Activities of Assembly members>

(diplomatic visits and attendance at international meetings)

Unit: 1000 won

2 0 1 1		2 0 1 2
1	92,763	1	54,786
2	48,313	2	30,893
3	Park Hee-tae National Assembly Speaker	3	40,271
4	59,449	4	Park Hee-tae National Assembly Speaker
5	57,995	5	22,943
6	5,359	6	63,090
7	59,581	7	Chung Ui-hwa National Assembly Vice Speaker
8	54,691	8	14,789
9	44,402	9	33,783
10	58,524	10	22,854
11	25,677	11	Chung Ui-hwa Substituting National Assembly Speaker
12	75,552	12	8,702
13	56,338	13	65,388
14	60,150	14	18,691
15	Hong Jae-hyung National Assembly Vice Speaker	15	107,699
16	38,416	16	58,704
17	60,928	17	59,968
18	Park Hee-tae National Assembly Speaker	18	48,776
19	76,787	19	35,980
20	26,315	20	27,455
21	57,646	21	13,851
22	127,838	22	24,213
23	Chung Ui-hwa National Assembly Vice Speaker	23	21,010
24	51,591	24	Chung Ui-hwa Substituting National Assembly Speaker
25	33,424	25	36,376
26	18,882	26	48,099
27	107,129	27	52,618
28	16,451	28	Hong Jae-hyung National Assembly Vice Speaker
29	61,392	29	35,909
30	60,581	30	67,471
31	55,229	31	80,171
32	57,989	32	55,676
33	55,988	33	47,434
34	Hong Jae-hyung National Assembly Vice Speaker	34	Lee Byung-seok National Assembly Vice Speaker
35	16,951	35	Lee Byung-seok National Assembly Vice Speaker
36	Park Hee-tae National Assembly Speaker	36	69,114
37	17,985	37	7,404
38	5,912	38	15,973
39	49,455	39	16,086
40	40,155	40	19,508
41	21,297	41	15,726
42	52,043	42	Kang Chang-hee National Assembly Speaker
43	9,373	43	86,325
44	41,837	44	8,346
45	50,236	45	25,906
46	18,944	46	30,284
47	57,566	Total	1,492,272
48	30,712	Total	1,492,272
49	32,301	2 0 1 3
50	85,483	2 0 1 3
51	31,334	1	30,789
52	2,712	1	30,789
53	Park Hee-tae National Assembly Speaker	2	56,039
54	13,787	3	75,541
55	25,646	4	108,044
56	70,188	5	60,347
57	19,124	6	54,147
58	80,515	7	44,156
59	3,420	8	Lee Byung-seok National Assembly Vice Speaker
60	44,785	9	94,935
61	42,113	10	144,426
Total	2,469,254	Total	668,424

The expenses National Assembly Speaker and Vice Speaker used at diplomatic activities were excluded in the information provided by the Assembly. That’s why they could not reveal the total amount of spending on Assembly members’ diplomatic visits (incl. attendance at international meetings)

After we asked the reason of nondisclosure, they answered that the cases of Prime Mister’s Office and Office of the President were used as reference. They added that this issue is related to “national security, national defense, unification and foreign affairs”, which are subjects of nondisclosure according to Information Disclosure Act, and it has potential to harm national interests when disclosed.

We asked again why they disclosed the information two years ago and why the issues related to national security and foreign affairs are not applicable to other Assembly members. The person in charge at National Assembly Secretariat answered that seemingly it was judged by the top that Assembly Speaker and Vice Speaker have more important schedules in diplomatic activities and now the situation is different with two years ago. Did foreign affairs and national security suddenly become more important than 2 years ago? And how can national interests become harmed by disclosing the budget?

The entire budget used at 54 cases of diplomatic activities excluding the ones of Assembly Speaker and Vice Speaker from total 61 cases was approximately 2.47 billion won in 2011. In 2012, it was 1.49 billion won for 38 of 46 cases that was disclosed. By January 2013, the budget was 660 million for 9 of 10 cases that were disclosed. However, it is difficult to estimate the budget spent on overseas visits of Assembly Speaker and Vice Speaker since the budget on pure diplomatic visits and attendance at international meetings (excl. invitation, hosting international meetings and exchange programs with National Assembly Secretariat) are not disclosed.

How did Assembly Speaker and Vice Speaker use the budget that they had to use this type of trick? The Assembly that does not disclose the information since we posed a problem on former National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae’s 9 night 11 days trip to France with his usage of more than 300 million won, they do not show any improvements despite of severe public criticism.

The position of Assembly members is commonly called as a permanently risk free job and a job of the Gods with all the privileges. Their privileges and power are given by citizens and therefore eventually those should be given back to the citizens. The Assembly, one of the most influential institutions in the nation, is not being transparent and its members are abusing their power. The Assembly members are still going to touristic overseas business trips and the Assembly is not transparently disclosing the relevant budget. A formal objection was currently submitted to National Assembly Secretariat in order to receive documents about the budget spent on diplomatic activities of Assembly Speaker and Vice Speakers. We are looking forward to receiving the answer from the Assembly.

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