"Lawmaker from the Ruling Party Sentenced to 7 Years, Retains Position"… Kim Nam-guk Claims 'Expulsion Is Unfair' in Letter

Rep. Kim Sends Letter to Democratic Party and Independent Lawmakers
Explains Inadequate Explanations and Hundreds of Transactions During Committee Tenure

Kim Nam-guk, an independent lawmaker who was recommended for expulsion from the National Assembly by the Ethics Review Advisory Committee over coin-related suspicions, is reported to have sent a letter of appeal expressing his grievances to the Democratic Party and independent lawmakers.

According to political circles on the 1st, Kim sent a four-page letter on A4 paper the day before to members of the Democratic Party and independent lawmakers. Beginning with an apology, Kim's letter claimed, "Recommending the expulsion of a lawmaker due to virtual asset transactions and alleged insincerity in the explanation process without confirming any illegal activity is a disciplinary action that significantly lacks proportionality."

First, Kim rebutted the criticism that he was insincere in explaining to the advisory committee, saying, "It is difficult to understand, and as the subject of the disciplinary action, I honestly feel extremely wronged." He added, "If you consider the reference materials and evidence, the volume amounts to hundreds of pages," and stated, "Although it is not true that the explanation process was insincere, even if we concede and assume insincerity, the committee's decision is unfair."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the accusation that he traded during committee hours, he admitted, "There is no excuse," but explained, "The claim that hundreds of trades took place is not true." He introduced, "In the case of trades using Kakao Clip, transactions occur in real time, so the exact number can be identified, but for Bithumb and Upbit, the order time and execution time often differ, and some trades can be pre-scheduled, causing discrepancies in transaction times."

He also argued that the expulsion recommendation lacked fairness. He said, "A ruling party lawmaker who was indicted on charges of receiving bribes from a third party and sentenced to seven years in prison in the second trial has not even had a disciplinary proposal submitted and is maintaining their seat," and added, "While I reflect on the fact that virtual asset trading does not align with public sentiment and expectations, I kindly ask for an objective and careful reconsideration of whether this is a matter serious enough to lose a National Assembly seat."

Additionally, Kim mentioned that expulsion from the National Assembly is an irreversible decision and that if expelled, the constituency would be left without a lawmaker until next year’s general election, appealing, "Please give me the opportunity to serve and dedicate myself."

The Ethics Special Committee plans to review Kim’s disciplinary proposal in a subcommittee following the advisory committee’s recommendation and then vote on it in a plenary session. A two-thirds majority of the total members is required to approve the expulsion.