Lee So-young "Will Investigate the Facts Even if Kim Nam-guk Leaves the Party"

Lee Soyoung, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, stated that the investigation into Representative Kim Namguk, who left the Democratic Party amid suspicions involving billions of coins, will continue even after his departure.

On the 15th, during MBC's 'Kim Jongbae's Focus,' the spokesperson said, "Since Representative Kim is no longer a party member, party-level disciplinary action is not possible. However, Article 19 of the party regulations allows for decisions confirming that disciplinary reasons exist even for those who have left the party."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response to the host's question, "Does this mean that the investigation and the Ethics Inspection Team's supervision will continue regardless of Kim's departure?" she replied, "Yes, the investigation is possible for now," adding, "And even if such regulations did not exist, since these suspicions arose during the performance of duties by a former party-affiliated lawmaker, I believe the party has no reason not to investigate."

If the Democratic Party proceeds with the investigation, it will also be possible to determine the level of disciplinary action corresponding to Kim's conduct. However, his cooperation is essential. The spokesperson said, "First, it is possible to confirm the existence of disciplinary reasons and to assess the severity of those reasons, whether they are serious or not," but cooperation from him will definitely be necessary."

She continued, "There are materials to be submitted and other things he must do," adding, "Since he has stated that he decided to leave the party to reduce the party's burden, it is expected that he will cooperate."

Reports emerged that during a closed-door party meeting held the previous day to discuss Kim's issue, topics such as Lee Jae-myung's leadership position and the resignation of the party leadership were also mentioned. The spokesperson clarified, "Some comments were made by one or two members, but the discussion did not shift focus to those topics, nor did many others agree to make them the main subject of debate."

She said, "(At the closed meeting) there was criticism that as the largest party with a significant scale, it had failed to demonstrate self-purification capabilities regarding these issues, and there were many calls for the leadership's response to be different from what it has been so far," adding, "It should be different, meaning faster and stricter."