Seoul: A Seoul court has convicted lawmakers from the People Power Party in the first trial over the violence that disrupted parliamentary proceedings. Rep. Na Kyung-won received fines of 20 million won (US$13,600) for obstructing official duty and 4 million won for violating the National Assembly Act, allowing her to retain her seat. Five other lawmakers, including Rep. Song Eon-seog, were also fined but allowed to keep their seats. The case marks the first judicial ruling under Articles 165 and 166 of the National Assembly Act, which bans any physical obstruction of proceedings.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the incident began with the 2019 confrontation over bills that established the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and introduced a proportionate mixed-member system. When the ruling Democratic Party tried to fast-track legislation, the then-opposition Liberty Korea Party attempted to block the move, allegedly locking Rep. Chae Yi-bae of the Bareunmirae Party inside a room to prevent him from attending a committee session. Images of Chae calling the police from inside the room and Na holding a metal pry bar remain symbols of Korea's dysfunctional parliamentary culture. The regulations designed to prevent "animal politics" collapsed in practice.
In its ruling, the court emphasized that lawmakers had violated procedures they themselves established to correct past misconduct. The court found that the clashes stemmed from a failure to maturely debate, compromise and persuade -- criticism that remains relevant: Verbal intimidation and physical altercations continue in Assembly chambers, far from the political civility that voters expect.
Reactions to the ruling have been predictably partisan. The opposition frames the verdict as legitimizing political resistance, while the Democratic Party seeks to portray lenient penalties as failures of the judiciary. Such interpretations ignore the ruling's core message. Although the trial took more than six years - and some penalties were mild - both parties must heed the warning. The purpose of the National Assembly Act was not to weaponize legal judgments but to prevent physical confrontation and restore trust in political leaders.
Lawmakers must recall the public mandate behind the act's passage and make a decisive break from practices that reduce parliament to a battlefield. Korea cannot afford the return of a violent legislature.