Children learn democratic values at National Assembly session

The National Assembly hosted the 22nd National Children's Assembly on Thursday, an event designed to cultivate democratic citizenship and deepen understanding of parliamentary democracy among South Korea's youth. This year's assembly saw participation from 991 elementary school students representing 145 schools nationwide, with a notable inclusion of children from the 'School Outside Youth Support Center' and international schools.

The day's activities were divided into morning committee sessions and an afternoon plenary session. During the morning, students participated in three standing committees, where they presented legislative proposals, debated them, and voted. This process led to the selection of seven draft laws to be presented at the main plenary session.

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In school, we learned in social studies that the separation of powers is important for democracy. But what happens if the representatives of each branch do not get along?

A unique feature this year was the opportunity for the young delegates to tour the actual plenary chamber before the main session. They also had a chance to interact with the assembly's leadership, making the experience of parliament more tangible and engaging. National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik, Vice Speakers Nam In-soon and Park Deuk-heum, Secretary-General Ko Yong-jin, and Minister of Education Choi Gyo-jin were present.

During the plenary session, one child's question about how to handle disagreements between government branches, even after learning about the importance of the separation of powers, prompted a thoughtful response from Speaker Cho. He emphasized that democracy relies on dialogue and mutual respect to resolve differences, highlighting these as fundamental principles of democratic governance. The assembly concluded with a commemorative photo session involving Speaker Cho and the young representatives.

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Democracy is as much about the separation of powers as it is about resolving issues through dialogue when there are differences of opinion. Respecting each other and reaching agreements is the basic principle of democracy.