Media caption Opposition MPs took turns speaking at the podium for five hours at a time 
 
 South Korean opposition lawmakers have set what appears to be a new world record for a combined filibuster after speaking for 192 hours. 
 
 Nearly nine days of non-stop speeches included rambling monologues and long chunks of George Orwell's novel 1984. 
 
 Some of the MPs wore trainers to help them stay on their feet for hours. 
 
 They wanted to block an anti-terror bill they said put personal freedoms at risk, but failed. The bill was passed hours after the filibuster ended. 
 
 A Canadian party had set the previous world record for combined filibustering, notching up 57 hours in 2011. 
 
 The art of the filibuster: How to talk for 24 hours straight 
 
 Filibustering is a parliamentary delaying tactic by which MPs drag out speeches to the end of the allocated time, so that no vote can be held. 
 
 South Korea's marathon attempt was spearheaded by the main opposition party Minjoo which was joined by other smaller parties, and began last Tuesday, 23 February. 
 
 Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Some lawmakers came with large stacks of articles and wore trainers for their lengthy speeches 
 
 Image copyright EPA Image caption The parliament chair was spotted dozing off during the marathon session 
 
 As well as some lawmakers being spotted wearing trainers, others reportedly refrained from drinking water so that they could cut down on loo breaks in order to keep on speaking. 
 
 Tactics employed also included reading out lengthy academic articles in full as well as news stories and internet comments. 
 
 In all 38 lawmakers are reported to have taken part. 
 
 Filibustering around the world 
 
 One of the longest individual filibusters in history came in 1957, when US Senator Strom Thurmond spoke for more than 24 hours against civil rights reforms 
 
 Texas state Senator Wendy Davis spoke for more than 10 hours in 2013 to block a bill that would shut most abortion clinics in the US state 
 
 In December 2010 Austrian Green MP Werner Kogler made a speech lasting 12 hours and 42 minutes 
 
 In 1935 US Louisiana Democrat Huey Long tried to defeat a bill by speaking for more than 15 hours, reciting recipes for Roquefort salad dressing and fried oysters 
 
 In 1936 the Independent Unionist MP Tommy Henderson spoke for almost 10 hours straight in the Parliament of Northern Ireland 
 
 Jung Cheong-rae spoke for 11 hours 39 minutes and Minjoo floor leader Lee Jong-Kul ended the filibuster with a speech of more than 12 hours. 
 
 They would have succeeded if they had managed to hold out until the end of the parliamentary session at midnight on 10 March. 
 
 But as the days wore on they faced increasing public criticism, as the filibuster was delaying the passage of bills on North Korean human rights and electoral districts for April's general election. 
 
 The ruling Saenuri Party has a majority of seats in parliament and nearly 160 members voted for the bill, with one against it, the Associated Press reported. Opposition lawmakers abstained, reports said. 
 
 President Park Geun-hye condemned the filibuster as "nothing more than a dereliction of duty". 
 
 The legislation allows intelligence services to collect a wide range of personal information - including phone records - on anyone deemed to pose a security risk. 
 
 Opposition parties said it would violate privacy rights and could be used to stifle political dissent. ||||| By Kwon Ji-youn 
 
 The world's longest filibuster went into the books Wednesday evening, leaving behind a host of records. 
 
 During the session, which began at 7.07 p.m. last Tuesday, 39 opposition lawmakers spoke for 192 hours and 25 minutes to block the vote on a disputed anti-terrorism bill that they claim will threaten personal freedom and privacy if passed into law. 
 
 On Wednesday, Rep. Lee Jong-kul, floor leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, delivered an emotion-laden speech as the 39th and the last speaker of the filibuster. He spoke for 12 hours and 31 minutes to shatter the record for the longest filibuster set by fellow lawmaker Rep. Jung Cheong-rae on Sunday. 
 
 It was the first filibuster in Korea in 47 years. Here is a closer look at the numbers: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 47 years 
 
 The filibuster is Korea's first since 1969. A filibuster is a parliamentary procedure that allows Assembly members to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a proposal through speeches. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 192 hours 25 minutes 
 
 The world's longest filibuster began at 7.07 p.m. last Tuesday and ended its nine-day run at 7:32 p.m. on Wednesday. A Canadian party set the previous world record of 57 hours in 2011. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 39 lawmakers 
 
 Thirty-nine opposition lawmakers strongly opposed the anti-terrorism bill proposed by Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the governing party, aimed at giving the National Intelligence Service (NIS) the authority to collect information on private communications, travel and financial transactions of potential terrorists. 
 
 The MPK argues that there is a great possibility that the spy agency will abuse its power and use the law to monitor civilians and opposition lawmakers. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 751 minutes 
 
 Rep. Lee Jong-kul, the 38th and last speaker of the filibuster, spoke for 12 hours and 31 minutes, or 751 minutes, breaking a record set by fellow lawmaker Rep. Jung Cheong-rae. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5,000 spectators 
 
 More than 5,000 Korean citizens visited the National Assembly to watch the opposition lawmakers engaged in non-stop speeches to block the vote on a disputed anti-terrorism bill after Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa exercised his authority to put the bill to a vote. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1984 
 
 The most-mentioned book by lawmakers was "1984," a dystopian novel by English author George Orwell published in 1949. The novel is set in a world of perpetual war, government surveillance and public manipulation, dictated by a political system that persecutes individualism and independent thinking as a "thought crime." ||||| 2016/03/02 20:05 
 
 SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition party ended its vote-blocking marathon filibuster Wednesday, opening the door for the normalization of parliament that has been paralyzed due to the political standoff over a government-backed anti-terrorism bill. 
 
 Lee Jong-kul, floor leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, stood at the podium of the National Assembly chamber as the last speaker, putting an end to the marathon monologues that started on Feb. 23. 
 
 "Everyone participated with enthusiasm," Lee said, reiterating that the bill infringes upon the privacy rights of the citizens. 
 
 A total of 49 lawmakers took turns speaking around the clock in opposition to the bill, claiming it would give too much power to the intelligence agency. The legislators took their time reading related bills or academic papers on privacy infringement. 
 
 The party leadership initially promised to halt the delaying tactic on Tuesday on concerns that the indefinite speeches, if prolonged, could cause public backlash over the delay in the parliamentary endorsement of several important bills, 
 
 Lawmakers will vote on the anti-terrorism bill during a plenary session scheduled for later on Wednesday. 
 
 It is very likely that the bill will be passed, as the ruling Saenuri Party controls 157 seats in the 293-member National Assembly. 
 
 President Park Geun-hye has repeatedly called on the National Assembly to pass the stalled bill to better protect the lives of South Koreans, citing a string of attacks around the world and threats from North Korea. 
 
 The opposition bloc, however, raised concerns over breaches of privacy such as allowing the National Intelligence Service to collect personal data on anyone suspected of posing a threat to national security. 
 
 Lawmakers will also pass a bipartisan deal on redrawing electoral districts for the upcoming general elections in April. 
 
 The Saenuri Party and Minjoo Party were in agreement to hold a plenary session to deliberate the deal on remapping electoral districts for the April 13 polls. 
 
 Separately, a bill aimed at improving North Korea's human rights condition will also be taken to the floor for a vote. 
 
 If passed, the North Korean human rights bill will end some 11 years of partisan bickering over how best to influence Pyongyang to change. 
 
 Among other things, the bill calls for a concerted effort to improve the North's human rights situation and set up a center tasked with investigating human rights abuses. 
 
 Lee Jong-kul, floor leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, speaks at the National Assembly on March 2, 2016, as part of the party's filibuster against an anti-terrorism bill. (Yonhap) 
 
 khj@yna.co.kr 
 
 (END)
– Think Wendy Davis' 10-hour filibuster was impressive? That was nothing compared to what dozens of lawmakers in South Korea just accomplished in the country's first filibuster in 47 years. For 192 hours and 25 minutes—or almost nine days—beginning Feb. 23, opposition Members of Parliament rambled on in an attempt to block an anti-terror bill proposed by a member of the governing party, report the BBC and Korea Times. The goal was to get to the end of the parliamentary session on March 10, but the filibuster came to a close Wednesday after attacks by the country's leaders. The bill passed hours later. At least the lawmakers still have something to show for their efforts: They smashed the world record for filibustering set in 2011 when Canadian lawmakers delayed proceedings for 57 hours. The last speaker alone spoke for 12 hours and 31 minutes to claim the record for longest individual filibuster in South Korea. Speakers wore running shoes, thumbed through huge stacks of documents, read academic articles and online comments on privacy infringement in their entirety, and recited sections of George Orwell's 1984, per Yonhap News. It was unsurprising, then, that the parliament chair was caught sleeping. The lawmakers argued the anti-terror bill—allowing for the collection of data, including phone records, on people considered security risks—would violate privacy rights, but President Park Geun-hye said the filibuster was "nothing more than a dereliction of duty." The public was also peeved that the stunt held up bills regarding North Korean human rights and an upcoming election.