Seong Byeong-heon, a member of the Sejong City Council, resigned from his position after being sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a fellow member of the same gender.
According to the Sejong City Council on the 8th, Seong resigned from his position that day. During the second plenary session of the 100th extraordinary session, a motion to expel Seong was introduced, but prior to the vote, he submitted his resignation.
The city council introduced the agenda item for Seong's resignation to the plenary session and put it to a vote. Out of 20 members, excluding Seong, 16 voted in favor, and the resignation was approved. Consequently, the expulsion motion against Seong was automatically discarded.
Seong was indicted for forcibly touching parts of the body of male member A of his party and kissing male member B of the People Power Party after a dinner meeting held at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul, in August 2022.
The Daejeon District Court ordered Seong to serve 1 year and 6 months in prison and complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program in the first instance in July. However, due to a lack of flight risk, he was not taken into custody.
On the 5th, the Ethics Committee of the Democratic Party's Sejong City Chapter expelled Seong. On the same day, he submitted a withdrawal application and became an independent.
In his personal statement that day, Seong said, "I resign from my position as I conclude my seven years of legislative activities."
Meanwhile, the Sejong City Council concluded its 15-day extraordinary session while processing the supplementary budget bill amounting to 1.057 billion won.