Parliament passes bill on enhancing disabled people‘s political rights

The National Assembly passed dozens of bills Friday, including one aimed at allowing the disabled, senior citizens and pregnant women easier access to polling stations during elections.

The bills were passed in the last plenary gathering of the parliament‘s March extraordinary session. On Monday, it will open another monthlong sitting, during which rival parties are expected to clash over such thorny issues as the government’s proposal for an extra budget worth 4 trillion won (US$3.75 billion) and a constitutional revision

The bills passed Friday include a revision to the Public Official Election Act, which involves a tougher rule on the violation of quotas for the recommendation of female candidates to be elected to the parliament by proportional representation.

Also among them were changes to the Public Educational Officials Act and the Private School Act that will extend the legal prescription period for sexual crimes by teachers to 10 years from the current five years.

The legislature also approved a legal revision that obligates provincial governments to secure permission from the environment minister for any plan to install facilities to discharge air pollutants. (Yonhap)