Rep. Lee Jae-gyun of the Saenuri Party and Rep. Roh Hoe-chan of the Progressive Justice Party both lost their seats in the National Assembly on Thursday following separate court convictions.
The Supreme Court found the campaign deputy of Lee guilty of handing gifts to reporters, citizens, and campaign officials prior to last year’s parliamentary elections. According to elections law, if the campaign deputy or the head of campaign accounts sentenced to prison or faces a penalty exceeding 3 million won ($2,971), then the elected official of that campaign loses his seat.
Roh was also handed a suspended prison term by the Supreme Court for violating the Communications Privacy Act when he released to the public in 2005 a list of former and senior prosecutors who allegedly received bribes from Samsung Group, the nation’s most profitable family-owned conglomeration.
Roh cited as the source a transcript of a secret recording of influential figures illegally made by the National Intelligence Service.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
