Ruling Coalition-Led Plenary Passes Resolution Urging Expulsion of PPP Lawmaker Kim Tae-gyu

Led by the pan-ruling coalition, the National Assembly has passed a resolution urging the expulsion of People Power Party (PPP) Lawmaker Kim Tae-gyu, who sparked controversy with remarks denying acts of insurrection.

During a plenary session on Thursday (November 5), the National Assembly approved the resolution calling for Kim's expulsion with 166 votes in favor and one invalid ballot out of 167 votes cast.

Lawmakers from the People Power Party did not participate in the vote.

The resolution states that Kim's remarks on a YouTube broadcast—where he asserted that the actions of former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Yoon Suk Yeol "were not an insurrection"—violated a lawmaker's duty to uphold the Constitution and maintain dignity.

Senior Deputy Floor Leader of Operations Cheon Jun-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, who sponsored the resolution, urged its passage during the plenary session, saying, "Under the pretext of historical reevaluation, [Lawmaker Kim] undermined the rule of law and made unconstitutional, outrageous remarks by denying even the Supreme Court ruling that finalized Chun Doo-hwan's status as the ringleader of an insurrection through three trials".

He continued, "This is an anti-historical act that insults and inflicts secondary harm on the victims of the May 18 Democratization Movement and their bereaved families, who sacrificed themselves for the constitutional history of the Republic of Korea and the advancement of democracy." He added, "Furthermore, it is a mockery of the people and the history of the Republic of Korea, as well as an attempt to divide public opinion by denying historical truth and the judiciary's judgment while spreading sophistry."

This marks the second time a resolution urging the expulsion of a lawmaker has passed the plenary session during the 22nd National Assembly.


Earlier in August, the Democratic Party also took the lead in passing a resolution calling for the expulsion of PPP Lawmaker Lee Jin-sook during a plenary session following controversy over distorting the May 18 Democratization Movement.

However, to actually expel the two lawmakers, a separate disciplinary motion must be approved by the plenary session.

Under current law, expelling a lawmaker requires the approval of at least two-thirds of all sitting members.

Along with this, the National Assembly also passed a resolution to establish the "Special Committee on Mega-Regional Strategic Industrial Special Zones for Locally-Led Growth" to support three mega projects promoted by the government, led by the pan-ruling coalition.

The vote tallied 145 in favor, 10 opposed, and 8 abstentions among the 163 lawmakers present.

While most PPP lawmakers boycotted the vote, 10 lawmakers, including Kim Sung-won, Kim Seung-soo, and Park Jeong-ha, cast dissenting votes.

Progressive Party lawmakers Yoon Jong-o, Jeong Hye-gyeong, and Sohn Sol, along with Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hye-in (HYEIN), were among those who abstained.

The resolution calls for creating the Special Committee on Mega-Regional Strategic Industrial Special Zones within the National Assembly to deliberate and handle related bills.

The special committee will consist of 18 members in total, including the chair: 10 from the Democratic Party, 6 from the People Power Party, and 2 from non-negotiating groups.

Its term of operation runs until January 31 of next year.

Although the People Power Party opposed the creation of the special committee starting from the standing committee review stage, it did not stage a filibuster (lawful obstruction of proceedings through unlimited debate) in the plenary session.

Previously, the PPP warned that it would launch a filibuster on all agenda items if the "Distorted Prosecution" special counsel bill pushed by the Democratic Party were placed on the plenary agenda.

However, it decided not to stage a filibuster against the resolution establishing this special committee.

Mediation by National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik is reported to have influenced this decision.

Nevertheless, People Power Party Senior Deputy Floor Leader of Operations Kim Seung-soo questioned the procedural legitimacy during the opposition debate.

Regarding the special committee's makeup, he claimed, "It is structured to virtually guarantee a majority for the Democratic Party, setting up the board so that all agenda items can be handled unilaterally."

He also stated that because the related bills involve matters overseen by various government agencies, such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, they should be discussed first in each responsible standing committee.

He then criticized, "Does forming a special committee first while bypassing such processes not mean willfully neutralizing the deliberation functions and expertise of the existing standing committees?"

In response, Democratic Party Lawmaker Jeon Eun-soo countered, "The Mega-Region Special Zone Act truly requires cross-committee discussions." She added, "The special committee is not a body that supplants the authority of existing standing committees, but a cooperative venue to bring together the expertise of each standing committee to produce more refined legislation."

Regarding the committee's makeup, she also remarked, "In principle, it is based on the proportion of parliamentary seats, and there is no issue because the composition ensures that members with expertise are appointed."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.