Cho Kuk Innovation Party Adopts Party Line to "Recommend a Vote in Favor" on Motion to Arrest Kang Seonwoo

"A Very Serious Case of Cash-for-Nomination"

The Cho Kuk Innovation Party announced on the 24th that it had decided, as its party line, to "recommend a vote in favor" on the motion to arrest independent lawmaker Kang Seonwoo, which is scheduled to be handled at the plenary session of the National Assembly.

Baek Sunhee, floor spokesperson of the Innovation Party, met with reporters at the National Assembly right after the general meeting of lawmakers and said, "This issue is a very serious matter of so-called 'cash-for-nomination'," adding, "In relation to the motion to arrest Assemblywoman Kang, we adopted a recommendatory party line in favor."

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Kim Juhyung, reporter = Kang Seonwoo, an independent lawmaker accused of receiving 100 million won that Seoul City Councilor Kim Kyung handed over through former secretary-general Nam Mo as payment for a party nomination ahead of the 2022 local elections, appeared on Feb. 3 at the Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Mapo-gu, Seoul. 2026.2.3 kjhpress@yna.co.kr (End)

A recommendatory party line means that voting in favor is not mandatory but that the party recommends a particular direction.

Earlier, the Cho Kuk Innovation Party had joined forces with the Progressive Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democratic Party, the three progressive-reform parties, to jointly propose amendments to the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act aimed at preventing cash-for-nomination practices. The core of the bill is to strip the person involved in a cash-for-nomination case of eligibility to run for public office for 20 years, and, if a conviction is finalized for violating the Public Official Election Act due to the exchange of money or valuables, to claw back 5% of the subsidies paid to the political party to which that person belongs.

Kang is accused of receiving 100 million won from former Seoul City Council member Kim Kyung as payment for a nomination ahead of the 2022 local elections. After the allegations surfaced, the Democratic Party of Korea expelled her.

Previously, the Democratic Party had decided not to set a party line on the vote on the motion to arrest Kang and to leave the decision to the discretion of each lawmaker.