Time to end the weird privilege of lawmakers

The majority party must take the lead in devising measures against the abuse of the privilege.

“Our lawmakers’ privilege of having no responsibility for what they say in the National Assembly — and not being arrested while legislative sessions are underway — is too excessive. We support the removal of the prerogative 100 percent,” Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung said in a press interview in May. But his path since then has pointed in the opposite direction. He fully took advantage of that privilege to avoid arrest despite a plethora of charges against him.

The case of Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom, a DP lawmaker who repeatedly enjoyed the benefit, is dumbfounding. Even after being accused of raising the groundless suspicion that President Yoon Suk Yeol had a drinking binge in a luxurious bar in Gangnam until the early morning with Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon to show his support for the minister’s investigations, the case was dropped by the police.

Rep. Kim, a former journalist-turned-lawmaker, nonchalantly raised the suspicion during a legislative audit of the Justice Ministry a year ago. But that was a lie. Even Hwang Gyo-ik, a food columnist and avid supporter of the liberal party, demanded that Kim apologize for the false allegation. Kim responded, “Even if the day comes back, I cannot but raise the same suspicion.”

His reaction shows a determination to continue such irresponsible disclosures without any remorse. As it turned out, the Seocho Police on Tuesday decided not to refer the case to the prosecution, citing the privilege. We wonder if making groundless accusations against the president and the minister during an audit of the government is really part of a lawmaker’s job.

The privilege, stipulated in the Constitution, was given to legislators to protect their freedom to accuse and criticize the authoritarian governments in the past. But in a weird twist, it turned into a means for lawmakers to avoid punishment even after maliciously making false claims. A Youtuber who broadcast the same fake news was sent to the prosecution after being accused, but Rep. Kim avoided it by using that magic wand. If the legacy of the authoritarian days is left unattended, more fake news will certainly be produced from the National Assembly, further intensifying the public hatred toward politics.

The majority party must take the lead in devising measures against the abuse of the privilege. In fact, that was a campaign promise of the DP chair. In the nick of time, a bill aimed at curbing groundless accusations is now pending in the legislature after being proposed by a group of first-term lawmakers in the DP. The bill bans any lawmakers who spread fake news or make groundless accusations from attending legislative sessions for up to 180 days. The time has come for the DP to pass the bill.