Kim Byung-kee, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said today on the 30th that he will step down as floor leader. As allegations of power abuse against aides and misconduct involving family members were raised one after another, he decided it would burden the government and the party, and chose to resign midterm with about six months left in his tenure.
At a floor countermeasures meeting at the National Assembly that day, the floor leader Kim said he had concluded that, as the Democratic Party's floor leader who will support the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration, he should not blur his duties, and expressed his intention to resign as floor leader.
In political circles, there had initially been strong expectations that on this day the floor leader Kim would apologize for and explain the various allegations surrounding him and take a "head-on breakthrough" approach. But as additional allegations continued to surface, he was said to have decided to resign voluntarily.
The floor leader Kim said, I have thought a lot over the past few days. It was hard to accept a reality where, rather than my position being important, a single allegation is expanded and amplified, consumed as if it were fact, and used only as fodder for interest and political sparring instead of concern for the truth. He added, As long as I stand at the center of allegations raised day after day, I cannot help but become an obstacle to the Democratic Party and the Lee Jae-myung administration.
Growing negative public opinion inside and outside the party also appears to be behind the decision to resign. Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung at the presidential office said the previous day regarding the floor leader Kim's position, We recognize the situation as grave, and party leader Jung Chung-rae said, We view it as very serious.
On the various allegations, the floor leader Kim apologized, saying there were actions that fell far short of the public's common sense and expectations, and the responsibility lies entirely with my shortcomings.
The floor leader Kim was elected in the Democratic Party floor leader race on June 13 and rose to become the first floor commander under the Lee Jae-myung administration. But it was rocky from the start. He faced a furor over allegations of arranging a job for his eldest son and intervening in his second son's transfer to a university. In particular, this month, starting with the "Coupang luncheon" controversy, a flood of allegations followed, including "receiving Korean Air lodging invitation vouchers," "preferential treatment for medical services at a hospital in his district," and "misuse of a corporate card by his spouse."
The floor leader Kim took a hard-line step by disclosing parts of a group chat used by former aides, the "Yeouido Matdori" chat room, and actively moved to explain, but the situation worsened afterward. On top of that, an allegation emerged that he condoned, despite being aware, signs that a nomination bribe changed hands between a Seoul city council member and the office of lawmaker Kang Sun-woo during the 2022 local elections, leading analysts to say he could not hold out.
With the floor leader Kim resigning midterm, the timetable for the Democratic Party floor leader election, which had been slated for June, has accelerated. Under the party constitution, if the floor leader's post becomes vacant, a successor must be re-elected through a general meeting of lawmakers within one month. The term of the re-elected floor leader runs until June, the remainder of the floor leader Kim's term. Until a successor is chosen, senior deputy floor leader for operations Moon Jin-seok is to serve as acting floor leader.