Seoul City Council Chair Choi Ho-jung accepted the resignation submitted by Seoul Council member Kim Kyung, who is under investigation over alleged nomination bribes, among other accusations. Choi said he accepted the resignation to avoid paying additional compensation because it would take about a month for the disciplinary action of "expulsion" against Kim to be finalized.
The Seoul City Council said on the 28th that Chair Choi accepted the resignation, stripping Kim of his seat as of that day. Former Council member Kim submitted his resignation on the 26th, a day before the Seoul City Council Special Ethics Committee (Ethics Committee) was to convene to decide his disciplinary level.
The Ethics Committee held a meeting the previous day, with 12 of 15 members present, and unanimously adopted a disciplinary motion to expel the former council member. Expulsion is the most severe penalty that can be imposed on a council member. Choi accepted the resignation the day after the expulsion decision.
Chair Choi explained the reason for approving the resignation in a statement. He said, "There are voices inside and outside saying that a council member (Kim Kyung) under investigation for serious criminal allegations should not be allowed to lose his seat by resignation, but should be expelled, the greatest disgrace the council can give, so that the council stands with the public outrage," adding, "I fully agree with this view."
At the same time, Choi said, "I accepted the resignation because I judged that even a single additional day of allowing the former council member to remain a representative of the citizens was unacceptable, and not a single won of taxes should be paid under the name of legislative activity expenses or otherwise."
A disciplinary motion that passes the Ethics Committee is finalized only if it wins approval from two-thirds or more of the full council at a plenary session. The council's first session of the year will be held from Feb. 24 to March 13.
If a separate one-point session for the expulsion motion was not convened and detention was also avoided, the former council member could have received additional legislative activity expenses and a monthly stipend proportional to the remaining period. Despite effectively suspending legislative activities in January this year due to a police investigation, the former council member received 6,403,490 won in compensation.
Choi stressed that he accepted the resignation to prevent paying the former council member an additional roughly 6 million won in compensation over the next month. He said, "From the citizens' perspective, the former council member is no different from having already been expelled," adding, "In this situation, rather than waiting for the plenary session scheduled for Feb. 24, I judged that swiftly stripping the seat even a day sooner better meets the citizens' demands."
Choi also said, "The minimum atonement the former council member, who betrayed the citizens' trust, can make is to reveal the truth without a single concealment about the money transaction related to nominations and the abuse of position as a council member, and to bear the corresponding legal responsibility."
He continued, "As chair, I am sorry for causing concern to citizens who care about the Seoul City Council and for bringing difficulties to public officials," adding, "I will humbly accept the reproach together with fellow lawmakers from both parties."
The former council member is under police investigation on suspicion of delivering 100 million won to Rep. Kang Sun-woo, then a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, ahead of the June 2022 local elections. He is also suspected of conspiring, ahead of the 2022 by-election for Gangseo District mayor, on money to be delivered to an incumbent lawmaker and the method, in connection with his bid to run.