Kim Nam-guk's Expulsion Proposal Rejected by Ethics Committee... Democratic Party Seems to Have Voted Against (Summary)

Ethics Special Committee Subcommittee 1 Rejected with 3 Votes For and 3 Against
Undecided Whether to Lower Disciplinary Level or Reconsider in Plenary Meeting
Kim Nam-guk's Withdrawal Declaration Seems to Influence Opposition Lawmakers' Decisions

The expulsion proposal against independent lawmaker Kim Nam-guk, known to have traded and held a large amount of virtual assets, was rejected on the 30th by the subcommittee of the National Assembly Ethics Special Committee. It is presumed that the declaration of Kim’s decision not to run in the next general election influenced the votes of the Democratic Party lawmakers, leading to the rejection. There are still options such as lowering the disciplinary level to a 30-day suspension or reconsidering the expulsion proposal in the full committee meeting, but no decisions have been made yet.

The Ethics Special Committee’s first subcommittee held a meeting that afternoon and voted on Kim’s expulsion proposal, resulting in a 3:3 tie, which led to its rejection. Lee Yang-su, a member of the People Power Party and chair of the first subcommittee, explained immediately after the vote, “The vote was tied 3 to 3, so it did not reach a majority, and the expulsion proposal against lawmaker Kim was rejected.”

Earlier, the National Assembly Ethics Advisory Committee had recommended the highest disciplinary action, ‘expulsion from the National Assembly,’ against Kim on the 20th of last month.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It is presumed that Democratic Party lawmakers opposed the expulsion proposal against Kim, who was formerly a member of their party, by casting votes against it. Song Ki-heon, the Democratic Party’s ethics committee whip, said in response to reporters’ questions about whether there was prior consultation with the party leadership, “There was none,” but added, “There was discussion among the lawmakers.”

Song explained, “As a result of discussions among the Ethics Special Committee members, there was an opinion that this case itself is very important and that immediately expelling an elected lawmaker chosen by voters is inappropriate. There are even more serious cases where expulsion was not applied. For example, there are cases where individuals continued serving prison sentences while detained, yet were not expelled. Compared to those, it was considered insufficient to proceed with expulsion.” He added, “There was also an opinion that Kim’s political decision to declare he would not run again, thereby giving up his political rights, should be taken into account.” When asked if he consulted with Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader, he said, “It’s difficult to specify, but it can be said that most lawmakers were consulted.”

This passage is interpreted as revealing that Democratic Party lawmakers on the Ethics Special Committee effectively cast votes against the expulsion. Song said, “The ballot does not indicate party affiliation, so it cannot be concluded definitively.” However, Lee said, “Although it is a secret ballot, it is possible to make an inference.” Besides Song, the first subcommittee includes Democratic Party members Kim Hoe-jae and Lee Su-jin. People Power Party members include Chair Lee, Baek Jong-heon, and Lim Byung-heon.

The future disciplinary procedures remain uncertain.

According to the Ethics Special Committee, all options remain open, including lowering the disciplinary level to a 30-day suspension vote or reconsidering the expulsion proposal in the full committee meeting. However, due to the principle of ‘ne bis in idem,’ reconsideration in the subcommittee is not possible.

Chair Lee said, “Whether to hold the next meeting will be decided based on agreement among the subcommittee whips. If the next meeting is decided, it must be determined whether to change the disciplinary level and hold a vote or not.” Song explained, “If the level is lowered through consultation, a re-vote can be held, or the expulsion proposal can be referred back to the full committee for a final decision while the rejection stands.” The voting results will be reported to the floor leaders of both parties, who are expected to discuss follow-up measures at the leadership level.