By Kang Hyun-kyung



The National Assembly wrote shameful history again Tuesday, as a minor opposition party lawmaker released tear gas into the main hall there in an attempt to deter lawmakers from the Grand National Party (GNP) pushing for a vote on a free trade agreement signed with the United States (KORUS FTA).



Rep. Kim Sun-dong of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), who stood near the podium, suddenly set off a tear gas canister pointed toward National Assembly vice speaker Chung Ui-hwa at around 4:06 p.m. in an apparent bid to prevent the vote. The first-term lawmaker had hidden it in his bag before the plenary session started.



The ruling party’s push for ratification of the trade pact came to a halt for nearly 20 minutes because of Kim’s unprecedented act.



Kim, 44, achieved his goal, although it was short-lived.



Rep. Chung had to stop presiding over the plenary session announcing the commencement of voting on the KORUS FTA, overcome by the fumes.



He left the hall, followed by many of the GNP lawmakers, who had gathered in the hall from 3:00 p.m. to railroad the KORUS FTA.



The DLP lawmaker was spotted and pulled off by his fellow lawmakers and legislative aides.



Kim, a former student activist when he attended Korea University, resisted and shouted to show his discontent, but couldn’t overpower them.



The first-term lawmaker was escorted out of the hall.



This was the first time in Assembly history that a lawmaker has used tear gas to deter fellow lawmakers in the legislature building.



Hong Sung-gul, a professor at the Public Administration Department of Kookmin University in Seoul, said he was “speechless” at witnessing on T.V. a lawmaker using such a method in parliament.



“He doesn’t deserve his Assembly position,” he said.



However, Prof. Hong said the ratification process was relatively smooth compared with previous cases that highlighted extreme confrontation between lawmakers. Opposition parties tried to prevent the vote, but their resistance didn’t lead to clashes or a melee, he said.



For a long time, South Korea’s parliament has had a bad reputation due to the immature way its members handled inter-party disputes.



In December 2008, lawmakers and legislative aides used sledge hammers and fire extinguishers to break the door of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee’s conference room in an effort to prevent a vote on the KORUS FTA.



The ruling GNP pushed for the vote in the committee, despite resistance from opposition parties, causing the stand off.



Photos showing rampant violence, physical clashes and confrontations in the Assembly made international headlines at the time.

