Political Circles React Strongly to Disciplinary Action Against Keum Tae-seop for Abstaining on CIO Bill

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter Kang Nahum] It was revealed on June 2 that former Democratic Party lawmaker Keum Tae-seop was disciplined by the party for abstaining from voting on the bill to establish the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in the previous National Assembly. Keum plans to appeal the decision and request a retrial.

According to the Democratic Party on June 2, the party's Ethics Tribunal held a meeting on May 25 to decide whether to discipline Keum and decided to issue a warning, notifying him of the decision on May 28. This conclusion was reached after some party members submitted a disciplinary request earlier this year, arguing that Keum's abstention on the CIO bill constituted a breach of duty.

In its ruling, the Ethics Tribunal designated Keum as the subject of disciplinary action, stating, "Support for the CIO bill was the party's official stance. Since it is true that Keum abstained from voting on the grounds of his personal conviction, we consider this a violation of party policy under Article 14 of Party Rule No. 7 and are imposing disciplinary action."

However, the tribunal also noted, "Keum's abstention did not significantly affect the passage of the CIO bill, and the fact that he abstained, which is a passive form of opposition, should be taken into consideration," and therefore reduced the severity of the punishment to a "warning."

This conclusion by the Ethics Tribunal drew criticism from the political community. Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon appeared on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" that morning and said, "The National Assembly Act includes a provision for free voting. There is a clause that says, 'A lawmaker, as a representative of the people, is not bound by the will of their party and votes according to their conscience,' and this is still in effect. I don't think I've ever seen a lawmaker disciplined for making a judgment based on their own conviction in the main assembly hall," he criticized.

Ha Tae-kyung, a lawmaker from the United Future Party, also commented on his Facebook page, "The disciplinary action against Keum Tae-seop is a threat that anyone who criticizes Yoon Mee-hyang within the party will end up like Keum. The Democratic Party's disciplinary action violates the 'National Assembly Act,' which guarantees lawmakers' right to a free vote, and is a denial of democracy."

Keum plans to request a retrial as early as today. Keum's side pointed out regarding the Ethics Tribunal's decision, "Disciplining a lawmaker for their voting behavior itself violates the Constitution."

Previously, in December of last year, Keum abstained from voting on the CIO establishment bill, which was the party's official stance. As a result, he faced criticism from hardline Democratic Party supporters and was eliminated in the nomination race for Seoul Gangseo-gap, his constituency, in the last general election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.