Assembly speaker OKs Park’s special advisers

National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa said Monday that three sitting lawmakers had legitimate grounds to keep their appointments as special advisers to President Park Geun-hye on political affairs, ending months of fierce debates on the legitimacy of legislators simultaneously holding two posts.

After reviewing the legality of the issue, Chung said it was difficult to see that the positions of the presidential advisers breach a parliamentary law that allows lawmakers to take an additional post if it is considered to be an honorary position established for the public good.

“We cannot help but legally approve lawmakers to keep their additional posts as special political advisers to the president, because of insubstantial ground to prove that it violates the National Assembly Law, Act 29,” Chung was quoted by his aide.

Controversy emerged in late February when Park named three lawmakers ― Joo Ho-young, Kim Jae-won and Yoon Sang-hyun ― to serve as her special advisers. Cheong Wa Dae said they were appointed to improve communication between the presidential office and the National Assembly.

Opposition lawmakers, however, resisted the appointments, saying that they violated the parliamentary law that bans legislators from taking additional posts and urged them to choose one position. The law allows lawmakers to hold two posts only when they are appointed as Cabinet members.

After Park officially appointed the three as her special advisers, Chung said he would examine the legitimacy of the case. The law stipulates that the speaker can decide whether to allow lawmakers to hold additional posts.

The parliamentary speaker said he consulted the matter with a number of local law firms for months.

Though Chung approved the case, he expressed concerns over legislators working as the president’s advisers at the same time, saying it would negatively affect the parliament’s independence and clashes with the principle of separation of the three powers.

He also urged Park to institutionalize a communication platform between the legislative and the executive branches instead of having sitting lawmakers serve as her messengers to the parliament.

Chung’s offer was widely viewed as suggesting that Park revive the post of a minister without portfolio who can be assigned to work on special missions designated by the president.

By Cho Chung-un ()