Missing Petition on Kim Byung-ki's Nomination Fund... Democratic Party Says "No Record of Receipt or Processing"

Whereabouts of Petition Unknown, No Records Found
Democratic Party Admits Inadequate Management of Petition Processing

The Democratic Party of Korea stated that there are no records at the party headquarters regarding how the petition related to former floor leader Kim Byung-ki was received and processed. The party explained that, although it began looking into the whereabouts of the petition that former lawmaker Lee Su-jin (Seoul Dongjak-eul) delivered to Kim Hyun-ji, former aide to Lee Jae-myung and current First Secretary to the President, the document’s location has not been confirmed.

Park Soo-hyun, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, provided this explanation to reporters after the Supreme Council meeting on January 7, 2026. Addressing questions about the petition’s whereabouts, Park noted, "During the nomination period, hundreds of petitions are received in a very short time, and this has prompted us to reflect on how cases like this were handled." He continued, "Since many cases are submitted in a short period, it seems that the documents were mechanically forwarded to the department presumed to be in charge. We have not been able to find records of the receipt or processing of this or any other cases from that time."

Kim Byung-gi, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is seen leaving after announcing his intention to resign from the floor leader position at the floor countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on December 30, 2025. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

He added, "Even if the petition was poorly received or processed, we assume that all documents were discarded after the statute of limitations expired, as the Public Official Election Act sets the limitation period at six months. Going through this process has taught us the lesson that we need to establish such a system." This explanation suggests that the Democratic Party either failed to keep proper records regarding the handling of the petition and other related documents at the time, or that all documents were disposed of following the election.

Park emphasized, "It is not just this particular case for which records are missing; there are no records at all. We see this not as an issue of responsibility or concealment by the party leadership, but as a problem that highlights the need to establish a different party system."

When asked whether there had been any investigation of those involved at the time, he replied, "There was a verification process over several days, but even after tracking down and questioning the people involved, no one could recall anything about it." He went on to say, "While it is possible to focus on this particular case, it is like asking where a single bullet went in the middle of a battlefield with bullets flying everywhere-sometimes there is simply no way to answer that question." He added that further details are still being investigated.