The National Assembly decided to form the Ethics Special Committee on the 29th. This is the first activation of the special committee in 1 year and 2 months since the opening of the 22nd National Assembly. The special committee is expected to begin reviewing a total of 29 disciplinary motions submitted in the 22nd National Assembly after its official launch.
The National Assembly's Operating Committee held a plenary session that day and passed the resolution to form the Ethics Special Committee. The Ethics Special Committee is a temporary special committee established to review disciplinary actions and qualifications of National Assembly members. It was decided to be composed of 6 members each from the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party, totaling 12 members. The activity period is until May 29 of next year.
During the meeting of the Operating Committee, there were calls to allow members of non-negotiating groups to participate. Shin Jang-sik, a member of the Rebuilding Korea Party, noted, "In the first half of the 21st National Assembly, 2 members of non-negotiating groups served as members of the Ethics Special Committee. There are non-negotiating members who account for 8% of the total committee members in the 22nd National Assembly, and it is problematic to fundamentally block non-negotiators from becoming members of the Ethics Special Committee," requesting that the composition of '6 members from each negotiating group' be changed to '6 members from each party.' Yun Jong-o, a member of the Progressive Party, also pointed out, "The 22 disciplinary motions, except for Lee Jun-seok, are almost all from the two parties," expressing concerns that it might turn into protecting their own party members.
The proposed amendment to constitute the special committee members as '6 from each party' was put to a vote but was defeated, with only 6 in favor, 15 opposed, and 4 abstentions out of the 25 members.
Once the Ethics Special Committee officially launches following the plenary decision, the recommendations of members from each negotiating group are expected to be finalized. After its launch, the committee will review the 29 disciplinary motions submitted since the opening of the 22nd National Assembly.
The disciplinary motions include allegations against Kang Sun-woo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, regarding misconduct by aides, and issues surrounding Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the Reform Party, for controversial comments about women's bodies during TV debates in the 20th presidential election. Additionally, a resolution calling for expulsion against the 45 members of the People Power Party who blocked the execution of a warrant for former President Yoon Suk-yeol, filed by Democratic Party member Park Chan-dae, has also been submitted to the Ethics Special Committee.
However, expulsion of members requires the support of two-thirds of the eligible members (200 members) in the plenary session, so there is a general consensus that the likelihood of actual expulsion is low. The only case of a sitting National Assembly member being expelled through a plenary vote was in 1979 when Kim Young-sam, then the leader of the New Democratic Party, was expelled. As the Ethics Special Committee begins to operate in earnest, conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties over the level of punishment are also expected.