Korean lawmakers are notorious for their high-handed, overbearing attitude during parliamentary hearings dealing with the annual inspection and audit of the executive branch. Government officials and civilian witnesses attending those sessions have to go through harsh questioning by lawmakers that often includes personal attacks and abusive, derogatory remarks.

Needless to say, a call to take the witnesses' stand at the National Assembly would be the last one anyone hopes to hear. But many cannot avoid it because the law can put anyone who defies a parliamentary summons without any justifiable reasons into prison for three years or up to 10 million won in fines.

The National Assembly, however, seems uninterested in seeing to it that the law, enacted by none other than the lawmakers themselves, be faithfully implemented when it comes to the rich and the powerful. Many politicians, former senior government officials and business tycoons just ignore parliamentary calls, and rarely does the Assembly hold them to account.

This negligence of duty on the part of the Assembly is being repeated in the current inspection of the government. Many of those called as witnesses have just not shown up.

They include Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn and Doosan Group's incumbent and former chairman Park Yong-sung and Park Yong-oh. Lee was called as a witness by the Finance and Economy Committee in connection with debts at Samsung Motors Corp. and Kim by the same committee over Hanwha's acquisition in 2002 of Korea Life Insurance. The two Parks were called to take the witness stand at both the Finance-Economy Committee and the National Policy Committee over allegations of falsifying financial statements of the Doosan Group.

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