Lee Junseok Expulsion Petition Surpasses 550,000... A Look at Past Cases of Lawmaker Expulsion [News Seolcham]

The Only Expulsion of a Lawmaker in Constitutional History: Kim Youngsam
Widely Seen as Political Oppression by the Military Dictatorship
Sparked the Busan-Masan Democracy Protests

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The number of petitions demanding the expulsion of Lee Junseok, a lawmaker of the Reform Party, has snowballed, surpassing 550,000. The expulsion of a National Assembly member is extremely rare in South Korean constitutional history, with the case of former President Kim Youngsam being the only precedent.

The expulsion of former President Kim from the National Assembly is widely regarded as political oppression by the military dictatorship. The catalyst was an interview with the New York Times (NYT). In September 1979, in an interview with the NYT, Kim directly targeted the Park Chunghee regime, stating, "The time has come for the United States to make a clear choice between a dictatorship that is becoming increasingly alienated from its people and the majority who yearn for democracy." He added, "In the long run, it is in America's interest for the Republic of Korea to have more democracy and freer institutions."

The NYT reported, "Because he has publicly expressed opposition to the South Korean government, the opposition leader is on the verge of being arrested and has called on the U.S. administration to stop supporting the Park Chunghee dictatorship." The article continued, "Despite the threat of arrest, he continues to make public statements." This interview was published under the headline "Foe of Seoul Regime Asks Decision by U.S." on page 17 of the NYT on September 16, 1979.

On November 22, 2015, following the death of former President Kim, the NYT republished his 1979 interview article on its online edition. Photo by eYeongsang History Museum

The Park Chunghee regime was thrown into turmoil after seeing this interview. On the 22nd of the same month, just one week after the interview, the ruling Republican Party submitted a "motion for disciplinary action" against Kim to the National Assembly, with the signatures of all its members. The grounds for disciplinary action were as follows: "National Assembly member Kim Youngsam has violated the status of a lawmaker under Article 26 of the National Assembly Act, breached the Constitution, and seriously undermined national security and the interests and welfare of the nation by spreading false information and engaging in anti-state behavior. By doing so, he has insulted national sovereignty, damaged the dignity of the National Assembly, and impaired the honor of a lawmaker. Therefore, disciplinary action is requested under Article 157 of the National Assembly Act."

According to Article 158 of the National Assembly Act, meetings regarding disciplinary actions are not open to the public, so conversations among lawmakers during the disciplinary motion procedure were not recorded in the minutes. However, according to the official record, the closed meeting, which began at 4:08 p.m. that day, ended swiftly in just 11 minutes. At 4:19 p.m., then-Speaker Baek Doojin declared, "The motion to expel National Assembly member Kim Youngsam has been passed." At that moment, Kim left behind his famous words: "Even if you wring a chicken's neck, the dawn will still come."

The expulsion triggered a spirit of resistance among citizens, which led to the Busan-Masan Democracy Protests. Twelve days after the disciplinary motion passed, on October 15, citizens in Busan held massive anti-dictatorship and anti-government demonstrations, which gradually spread to Masan and Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province. This eventually led to the October 26 incident, which brought an end to the Park Chunghee regime.

On October 28, 1979, former President Kim Youngsam, then chairman of the New Democratic Party, is paying his respects at the funeral hall of President Park Chunghee, who died in the October 26 incident. Photo by eVideo History Museum

Meanwhile, the disciplinary motion against Lee, who is facing criticism for "remarks of sexual violence," had garnered the consent of more than 550,000 people as of 11 a.m. on the 13th. The petitioner stated, "During the 21st presidential election candidate debate, in front of all sovereign citizens, Lee committed verbal sexual violence by using language that depicted violence against women's bodies in an attempt to attack his opponent."

If a National Consent Petition receives the support of more than 50,000 citizens within 30 days, it is automatically referred to the relevant standing committee for review. For an expulsion motion submitted to the plenary session of the National Assembly to pass, it requires the approval of at least two-thirds (200 members) of all sitting lawmakers.