Democratic Party Draws Sword... Demands Disciplinary Action Against Kim Ki-hyun for 'Chair Occupation' and Bae Hyun-jin for 'Speaker Insult'

Rep. Kim Ki-hyun's 30-day Attendance Suspension Disciplinary Proposal Immediately Submitted to the Plenary Session
Rep. Bae Hyun-jin's Disciplinary Proposal Demands Severe Sanctions Through the Ethics Committee

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Democratic Party of Korea has drawn the disciplinary sword against People Power Party lawmakers Kim Ki-hyun and Bae Hyun-jin, accusing them of violating the National Assembly Act. This is a continuing aftermath of the so-called ‘Prosecution Reform Act’ process, which separates the prosecution’s investigative and prosecutorial powers. Since the disciplinary targets are Kim, a former floor leader of the People Power Party, and Bae, who served as the spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, a counter-response from the People Power Party is also expected.

On the 4th, Oh Young-hwan, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, announced in a written briefing, "Today, we submitted a disciplinary proposal against the lawmakers." Oh stated, "Lawmaker Kim violated Article 148-2 of the National Assembly Act by occupying the chair of the committee chairman and obstructing the meeting when entering the Judiciary Committee meeting room around 11:55 PM on the 26th of last month." He added, "Lawmaker Bae mocked the Speaker of the National Assembly and insulted the Speaker by disseminating false information during the first plenary session of the 396th extraordinary session on the 30th of last month."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding this, Oh said, "The Democratic Party demands strict disciplinary action against the two lawmakers who have once again stained the National Assembly with violence and severely damaged its honor," adding, "We will hold Lawmakers Kim Ki-hyun and Bae Hyun-jin accountable for their remarks and actions that have desecrated the National Assembly through violence."

Reviewing the actual disciplinary proposal submitted by the Democratic Party to the National Assembly, it includes an order to suspend Kim’s attendance for 30 days. Typically, disciplinary actions against lawmakers require review by the Ethics Committee, but the direct request for discipline at the plenary session was made pursuant to Article 155 of the National Assembly Act. According to this article, if a person occupies the chair of the Speaker or committee chairman and does not comply with the measures taken by the Speaker or chairman under Article 145 to remove the occupation, they can be disciplined by resolution without review by the Ethics Committee. The so-called ‘Animal National Assembly’ incidents, which involved physical confrontations, led to the enactment of the National Assembly Advancement Act, which includes strong penalties to prevent chair occupation incidents that were central to past clashes between ruling and opposition parties.

However, Kim’s side argues that the disciplinary conditions are not met. In radio interviews and others, Kim claimed, "The chairman’s seat was empty, so I sat there briefly because my leg hurt," and "Later, when the chairman came in to proceed with the meeting, I moved aside." Nevertheless, he also demanded, "If you are going to discipline me anyway, then expel me." On the other hand, the Democratic Party’s position through the disciplinary request is that "Kim did not comply with the order to maintain order, continued to occupy the chairman’s seat, seriously disturbed the order of the meeting room, and obstructed the progress of the meeting."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Bae’s disciplinary proposal will be discussed in the Ethics Committee. The Democratic Party views that although lawmakers have immunity for statements and votes made in the course of their duties and are not held accountable outside the National Assembly, they violated Article 155 of the National Assembly Act, which prohibits insulting others or making statements about private life.

The Democratic Party claimed that during the plenary session on the 30th of last month, Bae’s parliamentary remarks such as "your adorable body," "the women sitting in the front row to step over our People Power Party lawmakers," and "those scenes unseen under the camera, kicking our women with boots bravely" were mocking and false statements not consistent with facts. Bae and others defended themselves regarding the so-called finger-pointing controversy by saying, "We gathered the five fingers neatly."

Regarding this matter, the Democratic Party demanded severe disciplinary action citing the National Assembly Act, the Code of Ethics for National Assembly Members, and the Code of Conduct for National Assembly Members. Disciplinary measures for lawmakers include warnings in open sessions, apologies in open sessions, suspension of attendance for up to 30 days, and expulsion.