Photo : YONHAP News
The Democratic Party’s ethics committee voted to expel former floor leader Kim Byung-kee over a series of corruption allegations.
Han Dong-soo, head of the party’s ethics committee, said on Monday that the panel reached the decision after comprehensively considering various factors such as the seriousness of the allegations and whether the statute of limitations had expired.
The committee reviewed 13 allegations involving Kim, including claims that he accepted nomination-related money during local elections, abused aides, received luxury hotel vouchers, and that his spouse misused official expense funds for personal purposes.
Kim personally attended the hearing and spent nearly five hours presenting his defense, reportedly denying most of the allegations as untrue and arguing that many fell outside the party’s three-year disciplinary statute of limitations.
However, the ethics committee concluded that expulsion was warranted based solely on allegations that remain within the statute of limitations, including the receipt of hotel accommodation vouchers from Korean Air and a high-priced private dinner with the head of Coupang.
The party plans to finalize the expulsion after reporting the decision to its leadership and securing approval from more than half of its lawmakers, though Kim said he will immediately seek a retrial, which may delay the process.