Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly, a unicameral legislature. The Assembly is composed of 299 members serving four-year terms.

Out of 299 members, 243 are elected by popular vote from local constituencies, while the remaining 56 members obtain their seats through a proportional representation system in which seats are allocated to each political party that has gained 3 percent or more of all valid votes or five or more seats in the local constituency election. The system is aimed at reflecting the voices of people from different walks of life while enhancing the expertise of the Assembly.

The National Assembly

To be eligible for election, a candidate must be at least 25 years of age. One candidate from each electoral district is selected by majority vote.

An Assembly member is not held responsible outside the Assembly for any opinions expressed or votes cast in the legislative chamber. During a session of the Assembly, no Assembly member may be arrested or detained without consent of the Assembly except in the case of a flagrant criminal act. In case of apprehension or detention of an Assembly member prior to the opening of a session, the member must be released during the session upon the request of the Assembly.

Two types of legislative sessions are provided for, regular and special. The regular session is convened once a year from September through December and special sessions may be convened upon the request of the President or one-fourth or more of the members of the Assembly. The period of a regular session is limited to 100 days and to 30 days for special sessions. If the President requests the convening of a special session, he must clearly specify the period of the session and the reasons for the request.

Except as otherwise provided in the Constitution or law, the attendance of more than one half of the entire Assembly members, and the concurrent vote of more than one half of the Assembly members present, are necessary to make the decisions of the National Assembly binding. In the case of a tie vote, the matter is considered to be rejected by the Assembly. Legislative meetings are open to the public, but this rule may be waived with the approval of more than one half of the members present or when the Speaker deems it necessary to do so in the interest of national security.

The National Assembly is vested with a number of functions under the Constitution, the foremost of which is making laws. Other functions of the Assembly include approval of the national budget, matters related to foreign policy, declaration of war, and the stationing of Korean troops abroad or of foreign forces within the country, inspecting or investigating specific matters of state affairs and impeachment.

A motion for impeachment must be proposed by one-third or more of the membership of the Assembly. The vote of a majority of the Assembly is necessary to approve an impeachment motion. However, a motion for impeachment of the President must be proposed by a majority of all Assembly members, and approved by the concurrent vote of two-thirds or more of the entire membership. When an impeachment motion is passed by the National Assembly, the case is sent to the Constitutional Court for trial.

The Assembly elects one Speaker and two Vice Speakers, who serve for two-year terms. The Speaker presides over plenary sessions and represents the legislature while supervising its administration. In the absence of the Speaker, the Vice Speakers shall act for the Speaker.

The Standing Committees

The Assembly maintains 17 standing committees with the following functional designations: House Steering; Legislation and Judiciary; National Policy; Finance and Economy; Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade; National Defense; Government Administration and Local Autonomy; Education; Science, Technology, Information and Telecommunication; Culture and Tourism; Agriculture, Forestry, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; Commerce, Industry and Energy; Health and Welfare; Environment and Labor; Construction and Transportation; Intelligence; and Women¡¯s Affairs. Chairmen of the standing committees are elected from among members of the respective committees. The number of members of a standing committee is determined by Assembly regulations.

The committee chairman is authorized to control the proceedings, maintain order and represent the committee. Bills and petitions are referred to the standing committees for examination. The committees constitute the primary forum for reconciling differences between the ruling and opposition parties.

Under the present National Assembly Act, each political organization having 20 or more Assembly members may form a negotiating bloc which acts as a channel for negotiations between major political parties in the Assembly.

Assembly members without party affiliation can form a separate negotiation group if their number is 20 or more. The negotiating blocs designate representatives to negotiate with other groups. The bloc representatives discuss the proceedings and agenda items for plenary and committee meetings.