Democratic Party of Korea Mokpo City Councilor Kim Yang-gyu, Unfair Expulsion Decision 'Membership Maintained'

Councilor Kim Yang-gyu of Mokpo City Council (Photo by Mokpo City Council)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] Kim Yang-gyu, a Mokpo City Council member who was expelled by the Jeollanam-do branch of the Democratic Party of Korea last July, has recently been reinstated as a party member after the party’s central committee ruled that the expulsion was unjust, drawing attention to his future actions.

The Jeollanam-do branch of the Democratic Party of Korea expelled Councilman Kim Yang-gyu last July, alleging that his spouse supplied goods worth approximately 22 million KRW to Mokpo City through a private contract.

In response, Councilman Kim Yang-gyu filed an objection with the central party, which on the 29th of last month concluded that the expulsion was unjust, nullifying the Jeollanam-do branch’s decision to revoke his party membership.

The central committee of the Democratic Party of Korea informed that during the review, it was recognized that there is no regulation punishing local council members for violating Article 33-2 of the Local Contract Act, that the relevant public official failed to fulfill obligations such as verifying the applicability of private contract restrictions and submitting related documents, and that based on documents like the estimate at the time of contract, it appeared that an appropriate company was selected.

Councilman Kim Yang-gyu, who received the notice of nullification of his expulsion, stated, “During the process of appearing before the central party to explain myself, I strongly expressed my determination to remain a Democratic Party member no matter what happens,” adding, “I believe that sincerity was conveyed to the review committee as well.”

He further said, “Having gone through this experience, I hope it becomes a good opportunity for council members to respect each other and for the Mokpo City Council to become more united,” and added, “As a Democratic Party member and a Mokpo City councilman, I will faithfully fulfill my duties and work hard.”

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