Democratic Party's Park Deok-heum Reported to Ethics Committee: "No Longer a Representative of the People"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The Democratic Party of Korea decided on the 14th to file a complaint against independent lawmaker Park Deok-heum, who left the People Power Party amid a conflict of interest controversy, to the National Assembly Ethics Special Committee.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Democratic Party's Political Reform Task Force (TF), including lawmakers Shin Dong-geun, Jin Sung-jun, and Kim Nam-guk, held a press conference at the National Assembly that morning and stated, "Lawmaker Park, who is showing the ugly truth to the end, is no longer a representative of the people."

The TF cited the grounds for disciplinary action, saying, "Members of the National Assembly are required to perform their duties with integrity and prioritize national interests according to their conscience," and added, "However, Lawmaker Park has significantly violated the National Assembly's Code of Ethics and Ethical Practice Regulations." They continued, "Lawmaker Park has seriously damaged not only the dignity of a member of the National Assembly but also the honor and authority of the Assembly, so we urge strict disciplinary measures."

Regarding the People Power Party, which Park left, they said, "They cannot be free from responsibility," criticizing, "The People Power Party gave Park the opportunity to start his political career and appointed him to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee for four consecutive terms." They emphasized, "The People Power Party must reflect on the suspicions surrounding Park and actively cooperate to ensure the strongest disciplinary action is passed in the Ethics Special Committee."

The TF urged the National Assembly Ethics Special Committee to take action. They said, "We hope the disciplinary proposal against Lawmaker Park will be discussed promptly," and added, "Since this is not a political dispute between parties and lawmakers, we urge strict measures considering the seriousness of the matter." After the press conference, they submitted the disciplinary proposal against Lawmaker Park to the National Assembly Ethics Special Committee.

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