Two lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday lost their parliamentary seats after the Supreme Court confirmed convictions for election law violations in 2024.
The top court confirmed a 7 million won ($4,800) fine for Rep. Yi Byeong-jin, a first-term lawmaker representing the Pyeongtaek B constituency in southern Gyeonggi Province, for failing to disclose his ownership of properties valued at 550 million won as a candidate for the 2024 election.
This violated the Public Official Election Act that stipulates the mandatory disclosure of candidates' assets.
Rep. Shin Yeong-dae, who represents the Gunsan, Gimje and Buan-gun A constituency in North Jeolla Province, also lost his seat.
Shin's chief elections official during the 2024 election was handed a suspended sentence of one year in prison. The official, surnamed Kang, was found guilty of employing bribery to interfere in the party's candidate selection process.
Under the Public Official Election Act, a lawmaker who was issued a fine of 1 million won or a tougher sentence is to lose his or her seat. For a lawmaker's chief elections official, a fine of 3 million won or tougher punishment could strip the lawmaker of the seat, regardless of the lawmaker's direct involvement.
The rulings reduce the Democratic Party's presence in the 300-seat National Assembly to 163 seats.
With those confirmed convictions, four parliamentary seats will be contested in by-elections to be held alongside local elections in June. The two other seats are the Gyeyang B constituency in Incheon, which was previously held by President Lee Jae Myung, and the Asan B district in South Chungcheong Province, which was occupied by Lee's chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik.
More rulings are pending involving incumbent lawmakers. They include Democratic Party Rep. Yang Moon-seok, who is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on charges that include defrauding a financial institution to take out a corporate loan for personal use in 2021. An appellate court in July last year upheld the lower court's decision to impose a 1.5 million won fine for election law violations and a suspended 1 1/2-year jail sentence for fraud.
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