"Resignation of Assemblyman Kim Nam-guk"... Democratic Party Young Politician Calls for Reform

A Flood of Calls for Reform Among Party's Young Politicians
Park Seong-min "If True, Must Resign from Assembly"

The Democratic Party of Korea is facing continuous calls for reform both inside and outside the party amid a series of unfortunate allegations, including the 'money envelope scandal' and 'Kim Nam-guk lawmaker's cryptocurrency investment suspicion.' On the 12th, former young politicians demanded a full investigation of virtual assets held by party lawmakers, and some argued that Lawmaker Kim should even consider resigning from his position.

Former Democratic Party Supreme Council members Lee Dong-hak and Park Seong-min, former Emergency Committee member Kwon Ji-woong, and former lawmaker Jeong Eun-hye, all young politicians within the party, held a press conference at the National Assembly on the same day, urging the party to reform. They mentioned the money envelope scandal and Kim's virtual asset speculation allegations, criticizing, "The politics of the Democratic Party is dying. Despite receiving three consecutive national judgments in major elections, it still has not found its footing."

They particularly emphasized the need to establish a fact-finding committee regarding the money envelope scandal. They stated, "There are reports of illicit money exchanges in the party's internal elections, yet the party has not even conducted the minimum fact-finding investigation," and criticized, "Can a party that confesses it cannot even solve immediate problems on its own be trusted when it promises 'reform' to the public?" Along with this, they called for forming a fact-finding committee to conduct an internal investigation and to take strong measures such as expulsion from the party or retirement from politics if problems are uncovered.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the virtual asset allegations, they also said a full investigation of virtual assets held by party lawmakers is necessary. They pointed out, "Institutionalizing virtual asset property registration cannot be a fundamental solution," and added, "Once the law is enforced and property registration is conducted next year, it will be impossible to uncover issues related to cryptocurrencies that occurred before then."

They also argued that the party's Ethics Tribunal and Ethics Inspection Team should be disbanded and reestablished. They said, "What role did the Ethics Tribunal and Ethics Inspection Team play while our party's morality was collapsing like this?" and noted, "No follow-up procedures have been carried out regarding the cases already submitted to the Ethics Tribunal."

After the press conference, former Supreme Council member Park criticized Kim's virtual asset allegations, saying, "There are continuous inconsistencies in his explanations, which are increasing public suspicion," and added, "If the contents reported by the media are true, I think he could even resign from his position as a lawmaker."

He continued, "Not only do I think the response speed to inappropriate allegations within the party is excessively slow, but I also feel the level of response is quite low," and said, "For the party leadership to regain public trust, they must awaken and handle this controversy strictly and severely."

Earlier that morning, the party-affiliated National University Student Committee also held a press conference demanding innovation within the party. They stated, "Lawmaker Kim, who voluntarily identified as a young politician, made an all-in investment in cryptocurrency, causing many young people to feel deprived," and added, "We must eradicate the hypocritical behavior of emphasizing poverty in public while reaping huge capital gains behind the scenes."

Meanwhile, on the 14th, the Democratic Party plans to hold a reform lawmakers' general meeting with full participation of its members to discuss additional countermeasures regarding internal allegations. Prior to this, Floor Leader Park Kwang-on is reported to have conducted a survey among party lawmakers on ways to restore trust.