Democratic Party Also Calls for "Expulsion of Lawmaker"... Aftermath of Kim Nam-guk's 'Cunning Resignation'

Some in the Democratic Party Criticize "Irresponsible Defection"
People Power Party Forms TF on Kim Nam-guk's Speculation Allegations
Justice Party Also Calls for "Kim Nam-guk's Expulsion"... Urges Parliamentary Disciplinary Action

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk's voluntary resignation amid allegations of speculation in virtual assets (coins) has sparked a strong backlash. With Kim's resignation, the Democratic Party's internal investigation and ethics oversight have been halted, creating the appearance of a 'cunning resignation.' Furthermore, controversy has spread over whether to reaffirm confidence in party leader Lee Jae-myung, reigniting factional conflicts within the party. The Justice Party and the People Power Party have called for Kim's resignation from his parliamentary seat. In particular, the People Power Party has launched an all-out offensive by forming an internal task force (TF) to investigate Kim's alleged large-scale coin holdings and investments.

On the morning of the 15th, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, "Many lawmakers gathered consensus at yesterday's party meeting," adding, "We will respect the support of the public, party members, and party constituents and pursue strong innovation policies going forward." Floor leader Park Kwang-on also reiterated his commitment to reform, saying regarding the previous day's party meeting, "We reflected many of the people's demands in the resolution," and "In particular, we will innovate the ethics body and respond according to the three principles of 'constant monitoring, immediate investigation, and swift decision-making.'"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

"Irresponsible Resignation"... Criticism Over Exclusion of Party Coin Reporting Center from Resolution

However, criticism of Kim and the party leadership's handling continues. Lawmaker Park Yong-jin appeared on CBS Radio that morning and called it an "irresponsible resignation." He said, "While professing love for the party, he left all burdens to the party and pushed it into a more difficult situation," adding, "He caused the investigation itself to stop and turned the party that nominated him into a party without self-purification ability that can do nothing."

The sincerity of the reform party meeting held the previous day also came under scrutiny. The meeting discussed referring Kim to the National Assembly Ethics Committee and voluntary reporting of coin transactions by all Democratic Party lawmakers, but these were excluded from the final resolution, causing some lawmakers to express regret. Lawmaker Lee Won-wook said on YTN Radio, "One of the things that was pointed out a lot at the party meeting was the idea of creating a voluntary reporting center to check whether all Democratic Party lawmakers had engaged in coin transactions, but it was regrettably omitted during the final reconciliation among the leadership." Lawmaker Park also said, "We reviewed the resolution for over an hour yesterday, and many lawmakers said it was insufficient. The referral to the National Assembly Ethics Committee was mentioned, but when I checked this morning, it was not included," adding, "Referral to the Ethics Committee can lead to expulsion from the National Assembly."

People Power Party Forms 'Virtual Asset TF'..."Clarifying Kim Nam-guk Allegations"

Kim Ki-hyun, the leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The People Power Party launched an all-out offensive, calling Kim's resignation a 'cunning resignation' and demanding his resignation and removal from the National Assembly. In particular, the party decided to form a virtual asset task force chaired by second-term lawmaker Kim Seong-won, with first-term lawmaker Yoon Chang-hyun, chair of the Digital Asset Special Committee, serving as secretary. The TF will hold its inauguration and first meeting on the 16th and begin full-scale activities. Since Kim's resignation from the Democratic Party has made it uncertain whether the party-level investigation will proceed smoothly, the ruling party intends to clarify the allegations and consider legal actions. The TF will also investigate industry issues such as lobbying allegations related to P2E (Play to Earn) coin-related gaming companies alongside clarifying allegations related to Kim.

People Power Party leader Kim Ki-hyun said at the Supreme Council meeting that morning, "Kim should resign from his parliamentary seat," adding, "If he holds out until the end, he should be stripped of his seat. We urge the Democratic Party to cooperate." He also compared the situation to former People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook, who resigned over her father's real estate allegations.

The Justice Party also joined calls for 'expulsion from the National Assembly.' Leader Lee Jeong-mi said at the morning executive committee meeting, "Even from the revealed facts alone, Kim does not qualify as a lawmaker," adding, "The longer he holds out, the deeper he will sink into the quagmire." Floor leader Bae Jin-kyo said, "If the Democratic Party has any sense of political responsibility left, it must immediately take disciplinary action at the National Assembly level," and "The Justice Party urges the Democratic Party to submit a disciplinary proposal demanding Kim's expulsion from the National Assembly."