I do not really know what to make of this. I suppose every country has its own political culture, and I have heard that “debates” like these are pretty commonplace in the South Korean parliament. If nothing else, these representatives take the issues seriously, it seems pretty clear that none of them is in politics just for the sake of a big salary and a nice pension plan.

As you can see from the video, it is not just some shouting and pushing that takes place, they really are on each others throats, there is even one guy launching him towards the podium as said in the report. Furthermore, not only the men but also the women are all at it as well. It is also likely that at least some of the participants have real skills taekwondo being the national sport and all (even though it does not really seem so in the video).

It would have been interesting to be  a fly on the wall, I mean who were for example the brains behind the idea of blocking the doors with the table? I also wonder about the next day, do they all just sat down for a coffee and say “well, I think we all overreacted a little”, shake hands and go on with their everyday parliamentary work (whatever that means in this case…)?

In any case, I dont know if I would like to see this happening here, I am doubting whether this is a very constructive way to decide about things. I am not really sure if this would fall into the category of democratic debates either. Then again, it could be a breath of fresh air in the everyday boring routine. One thing seems sure though, the department of propaganda of North Korea is going to make at least 3 “Wippiis” with this one.

Tags: fight, parliament, political culture, South Korea

Category: Explanation needed

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