As soon as the National Assembly speaker put a controversial antiterrorism bill to a vote late Tuesday, Rep. Kim Kwang-jin of The Minjoo Party of Korea stole the limelight, cracking the record for the longest filibuster, going five hours and 32 minutes.

At 34, the 19th National Assembly’s youngest member took the podium at around 7:07 p.m., criticizing the bill at length before stepping down at 12:39 a.m. Until then, the title had been held by late President Kim Dae-jung, who laid out a speech for five hours and 19 minutes in 1964.

Though Rep. Kim’s mark was soon topped by lawmaker Rep. Eun Soo-mi, also of the main opposition party, who managed to speak for 10 hours and 18 minutes until 12:48 p.m., Kim Kwang-jin was credited as the first microphone holder and for his calm and poised manner.

He spent a great deal of time highlighting the public’s widespread mistrust of the bill that the opposition believes is aimed at enforcing the surveillance power of the National Intelligence Service, while reading the entire 15-page text of the state antiterrorism activity guidance.

The bill is designed to enable the NIS to collect private communications and financial transactions of potential terrorists.

When his pace quickened at times, some Minjoo Party colleagues chanted, “Take it slow, take it slow!” But Kim insisted on carrying on. When deputy speaker Rep. Lee Seok-hyun asked after four hours if he was okay and wanted to turn over to the next speaker.

“Many Koreans still harbor distrust of the NIS,” Kim said. “Though its director and his predecessor who is now the presidential chief of staff argue that they have forgotten the word “political intervention,” the agency had not shown any self-examination nor taken internal or legal steps at all to punish those responsible for past wrongdoings and prevent a relapse.”

The NIS has frequently been embroiled in political scandals, most recently last year over suspicion of using illegal surveillance software. Its former director Won Sei-hoon was indicted for involvement in an online smear campaign in favor of then-candidate President Park Geun-hye during the presidential race. He was found guilty, but the Supreme Court has sent the case back to the high court.

A spate of bills have been proposed since the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. in 2001 involving measures to ward off physical and cyberterrorist acts and trail the potential perpetrators’ money trail and network.

But they have never been put to a floor vote in the face of resistance by the opposition camp, which has voiced concerns that it would make way for the scandal-ridden NIS to ramp up its spying activities on civilians and political maneuvering in particular during election seasons.

The currently pending bill calls for the launch of an antiterrorism center under the Prime Minister’s Office. But the NIS will be given the authority to gather information on potential terrorists and attacks.

Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Saenuri Party have accelerated the legislative push since the surge of the Islamic State group and especially the jihadists’ brazen attacks in Paris last November and more recently Jakarta, Istanbul and elsewhere, as well as North Korea’s latest nuclear and missile tests.

While most Saenuri lawmakers exited the session shortly after Kim began his speech, speaker Rep. Chung Ui-hwa, who invoked his authority to put the bill to a vote, listened with his eyes closed for about one hour.

As of 6 p.m., Rep. Park Won-suk of the minor opposition Justice Party was continuing to filibuster after taking over for Eun, with several others awaiting their turns.

The protracted debate, however, also poses risks to the opposition, giving the impression that it tends to overlook security concerns due to partisan backbiting despite growing terrorist threats.

President Park Geun-hye expressed frustration at a meeting with an economic advisory panel, accusing the opposition of attempting to compromise public safety and “demand the people’s sacrifice.” 

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)