SEOUL -- Some days ago I received a telephone call from the Office of the Chief Spokesman of the National Assembly. A friendly public-relations officer invited me to write an article for the National Assembly Review with personal observations regarding the challenges for parliamentary politics in South Korea. "Yes, I will submit the article in time," I said and hung up. Just a few moments later, the phone rang again. "Oh, I forgot to mention, you may add also some critical, even negative points, if you so wish," said the PR officer. For a little while I paused. Out of courtesy, obviously, I did not express the thought that spontaneously had shot up my mind: Is there anything other than negative aspects to deliberate on regarding the South Korean Parliament?
No doubt, South Korea's National Assembly has a horrible reputation. Politics in general -- and even more so those individuals engaged in this trade -- are not held in high esteem in this country. South Korean parliamentarians find themselves on the very bottom of the popularity list. According to one survey published in an academic journal recently, South Korea's democratically elected National Assembly enjoys the lowest trust out of five institutions. The military, the judicial system, the media and the police are all more popular with the South Korean public than the democratically elected representatives. Interestingly -- and definitely also disturbingly from a liberal point of view -- the public-approval rating for Parliament has decreased rather than improved over the years of democratic development.
There are numerous explanations for the bleak image of the legislative branch: Unlike the parliamentary systems in Japan, Germany or Britain, South Korea's National Assembly plays a relatively weak role in the constitutional system. Here the political power rests with the president, who is as close to a temporary emperor as you can get.