With Term Ending Soon... Former Lawmakers Spending Hundreds of Thousands on Fellow Politicians' Donations [Leaking Donations]⑦

Kim Min-ki, Byun Jae-il, Lee Yong-ho, and others donate hundreds of thousands of won
Election Commission: "No problem if no quid pro quo"
Shin Hyun-young donates 100 million won to 'Baboeui Nanum', the largest amount

Editor's NoteIn the past, the reason for abolishing the district party offices was due to illegal political funds. Recently, the two major parties have been pushing for the revival of district party offices. The prerequisite for the revival of district party offices is the transparent use of political funds. What is the actual situation? Asia Economy requested information disclosure from the National Election Commission and regional election commissions and secured six months' worth of accounting reports before the expiration of the terms of 144 members of the 21st National Assembly. These individuals are now former lawmakers. Based on the secured data, we prioritized verification items by examining the appropriateness of expenditure purposes and usage locations. We confirmed with the parties involved and the election commission, and also conducted on-site reporting. We also uncovered the reality that the election commission does not properly verify accounting reports. We focus on verifying and reporting on the use of sponsorship funds by lawmakers near the end of their terms. ① Spending millions of won on office supplies at a kimchi factory logistics warehouse ② Using funds for meals at wine bars, hotels, and famous restaurants in Gangnam... 'Meetings = Gourmet tours?' ③ Retirement pay is illegal... 'Retirement gratuity' is legal ④ Large-scale holiday gifts to fellow lawmakers with political funds ⑤ Spending 10 million won 10 days before term expiration and going on a solo business trip to the U.S. ⑥ Large legal fees spent despite the election commission's 'no problem' response ⑦ Spent millions on supporting fellow politicians

#. Former lawmaker Byeon Jae-il donated 1 million won each to 14 fellow politicians including lawmakers Cho Seung-rae, Jang Kyung-tae, Go Min-jeong, and Jin Sung-jun on May 28, just before his term expired. Former lawmaker Lee Yong-ho donated 3 million won each to lawmakers Lee Jong-bae and Lim Yi-ja, and 2 million won each to lawmakers Kim Mi-ae, Bae Hyun-jin, and Cho Eun-hee, totaling donations to nine people.

#. Former lawmaker Shin Hyun-young donated 100 million won to the foundation 'Babo-ui Nanum' in May, and former lawmaker Kim Young-joo donated 50 million won to the 'Wonjin Occupational Disease Management Foundation.' Former lawmaker Lee Jong-sung donated 30 million won to the Community Chest of Korea, and former lawmaker Cho Soo-jin donated 21.7 million won and 10 million won respectively to 'Jeonbuk Sarang-ui Yeolmae' and 'Jeonbuk Community Chest.'

The common point of such support and donation activities by former lawmakers nearing the end of their terms is that all the sources of funds are political sponsorship funds. Questions are being raised about whether it is appropriate to support other lawmakers with sponsorship funds. Criticism arises because the original purpose of political sponsorship funds is undermined, as if the funds were spent as a favor.

According to the accounting reports of lawmakers whose terms expired in the 21st National Assembly secured by Asia Economy, former lawmaker Kim Min-ki donated 1 million won each to 17 fellow politicians including lawmaker Kim Young-jin (3 million won) before his term ended.

In the case of former lawmaker Lee Jong-sung, around late February when the People Power Party's nomination management review was underway ahead of the general election, he donated 5 million won each to lawmakers Lee Cheol-gyu and Jang Dong-hyuk, who were considered 'powerful figures.'

Former lawmaker Yoon Joo-kyung, granddaughter of independence activist Yoon Bong-gil, donated 5 million won from her sponsorship funds to the incorporated association 'Maeheon Yoon Bong-gil Woljinhoe' on April 15. Former lawmaker Kang Min-jung, a former teacher, donated 5 million won each to the incorporated associations 'Hoi,' 'Disability and Human Rights Barefoot Action,' the Seoul Metropolitan 'Dasiseogi Comprehensive Support Center,' and Bucheon Vocational High School. Former lawmaker Jeon Hae-cheol donated 10 million won to the foundation '416 Foundation.'

According to the Political Funds Act, political funds must be spent only on expenses required for political activities and must not be spent on private expenses or for improper purposes. However, there is room for interpretation regarding whether donations to organizations and support for fellow politicians can be considered private expenses.

In particular, as long as the individual properly explains to the election commission that their donation case is not a private expense, the election commission does not raise issues. An election commission official said, "If the sponsorship amount is large, we request a separate explanation," but added, "If there is no quid pro quo, it is not a big problem." Regarding support for fellow lawmakers, they responded, "It is possible if there is a basis, such as frequent agreement on bill proposals during the term."