Korea's 19th National Assembly held their last regular session on Thursday, passing some last-minute bills and paving the way for the newly-elected lawmakers whose term begins at end-May.
Among the bills passed on Thursday was the so-called Shin Hae-chul law, named after a popular South Korean singer who suffered a sudden heart attack in 2014 and fell into a coma shortly after being treated for an infection of the peritoneum and intestines at a Seoul hospital.
The law centers on protecting patients from medical-related accidents, allowing the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency to kick off conciliation for such disputes even without the approval of medical practitioners.
The 19th National Assembly, however, failed to settle other key outstanding legislation, including the abolition of the bar exam.
Korea had adopted the law school system in 2009 as an alternative to the bar exam to give more people a chance at a law career regardless of their academic background. But the switch has also come under fire as only the wealthy can afford the high tuition of law schools.
It also failed to pass a bill related to class-action suits against corporations, which was sparked by the case of deadly humidifier disinfectant sold by Oxy Reckitt Benckiser.
The humidifier disinfectant case, one of the worst scandals involving a consumer product, came to light after four pregnant women died from unknown lung problems in 2011.Korea confirmed 221 people as victims. Out of 90 deaths, 70 are believed to have been caused by Oxy products. (Yonhap)
