NARS identifies a total of 281 issues for the 2026 inspection and selects 56 critical questions

Chief Lee Kwan-hu: “Effective inspection begins with good questions. I look forward to an inspection that improves people’s livelihoods through policy-based scrutiny.”

Sharp, carefully formulated questions boldly challenge the achievements and limitations of government policies

Briefing for journalists and parliamentary aides to be held at 10:00 a.m. on August 27 in Seminar Room No. 3 of the National Assembly Members’ Office Building

“Did the government fail to anticipate market overheating when it introduced single-stock leveraged ETFs?”
“Why are people who die from the aftereffects of wildfires not officially recognized as victims?”
“Why have measures to promote school field trips failed to alleviate teachers’ concerns?”
“How are people supposed to buy homes if the government expands housing supply while restricting access to loans?”

These are among the questions selected by the National Assembly Research Service (NARS) ahead of the 2026 National Assembly Inspection of State Administration.

On Thursday, August 27, the NARS, headed by Chief Lee Kwan-hu, published 2026 Policy Issues for the National Assembly Inspection of State Administration: Questions the Government Must Answer This Year, ahead of the first inspection to be conducted in the second half of the 22nd National Assembly. The report presents the government with sharp and carefully formulated questions regarding the achievements and limitations of major policy issues currently attracting significant public attention, ranging from the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs to housing policy.

To mark the publication of the report, the NARS will hold a briefing at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 27, in Seminar Room No. 3 of the National Assembly Members’ Office Building. The event will introduce the report’s major findings to the public, journalists, and staff members of lawmakers’ offices.

At the briefing, NARS Chief Lee Kwan-hu will personally present the report’s overall structure and direction. The directors general of the respective research offices will then provide detailed explanations of major inspection issues in each policy area that are of particular public interest.

The report differs from previous reports primarily in its use of structured questions designed to prevent the government from responding indirectly or ambiguously. More specifically, it exhibits four distinguishing features.

First, the report focuses on issues that must be examined during the inspection, including the latest policy developments, the government’s major policy commitments, matters directly affecting people’s lives, and problems repeatedly raised during previous inspections.

Second, rather than merely asking about the objectives of policies or their implementation plans, the report poses sharper and more carefully formulated questions concerning their feasibility and effectiveness, fiscal sustainability, and accountability and limitations in the implementation process.

Third, it places greater emphasis on questions grounded in figures and data instead of raising issues in broad or abstract terms. Examples include the Seoul metropolitan area accounting for 78.9 percent of central government funding for the “Modu Card” public transportation program, a nationwide vacancy rate of 30 percent among government veterinarians, and nearly 90,000 cases annually in which bereaved families must use cremation facilities outside their local area. These figures illustrate pressing issues that directly affect people’s lives.

Fourth, for each topic, the report provides examples of key questions, along with additional data and review items to be requested from the executive branch. The purpose is to obtain accurate information, verify the government’s explanations, and identify the underlying causes of the problems.

The report identifies 281 topics across all areas of state administration that require examination through the inspection. Among them, 56 topics considered to be of particularly high public interest and significant policy impact are presented separately under the title “Questions the Government Must Answer This Year: 56 Critical Questions.”

The 56 critical questions include the following:
Why are people who die from the aftereffects of wildfires not officially recognized as victims?
Did the government fail to anticipate market overheating when it introduced single-stock leveraged ETFs?
How are people supposed to buy homes if the government expands housing supply while restricting access to loans?
Why have measures to promote school field trips failed to alleviate teachers’ concerns?
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In his foreword, NARS Chief Lee Kwan-hu stated, “Effective inspection begins with good questions. Good questions arise from concern for people’s lives, a critical awareness of the nation’s vision, the pursuit of accurate facts, and rigorous analysis.”

He went on to emphasize, “I hope the questions presented in this report will elicit accountable explanations from the government and lead to meaningful policy changes and follow-up legislation.”

The NARS will continue to fully support the National Assembly’s inspection, and its legislative and policy activities through accurate fact-finding and professional analysis.