'Bimyeonggye' Raising Article 80 of the Party Constitution... Will Prosecuted Kim Yong and Jeong Jin-sang Be Suspended from Party Duties?

Park Yong-jin and Cho Eung-cheon "Time to Discuss Party Charter Article 80"
Leadership Says "No Discussion Has Taken Place"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] As judicial risks have emerged among the 'Bimyeong faction (anti-Lee Jae-myung faction),' voices are rising questioning whether 'Party Charter Article 80,' which stipulates the suspension of party officials indicted on corruption charges, should be applied. In particular, there are calls for discussions regarding those already indicted, such as Kim Yong, Deputy Director of the Democratic Research Institute, and Jeong Jin-sang, Director of Political Coordination in the Party Representative's Office.

On the 21st, Park Yong-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' regarding the party's response, "Within the Democratic Party, there have been significant leadership-level decisions and personal resolutions to protect the party from judicial risks," adding, "The crystallization of this in the party charter and regulations is Article 80."

According to Article 80, Paragraph 1 of the Party Charter, the Secretary-General may suspend the duties of party officials at all levels who have been indicted on charges related to corruption, such as bribery and illegal political fund receipt, immediately upon indictment and may request an investigation from the respective Ethics Tribunal. This was part of a reform initiative pursued in 2015 by the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, the predecessor of the Democratic Party.

During the preparation process for the party convention last August, after a controversy arose once over the so-called 'Lee Jae-myung shield clause,' a proviso was added stating that "it may be otherwise determined through a resolution of the Party Affairs Committee."

Regarding this, Representative Park explained, "Whether guilty or not is unknown, but once indictment, a stage of the judiciary, has occurred and the case is brought to trial, the Secretary-General can suspend the party duties of the indicted official," adding, "Since Deputy Director Kim has been indicted, it is time to discuss the application of Article 80."

He also mentioned that these individuals are known to be close aides of Representative Lee, stating, "There is actually relatively little basis to have trust and confidence just because they are close aides of Representative Lee," and added, "In any case, since they are party officials, if indicted, shouldn't a judgment be made?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Democratic Party member Cho Eung-cheon also said on BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' "At this point, there is no way not to talk about Article 80 of the Party Charter," and criticized, "It has been more than ten days since Deputy Director Kim was indicted today. However, the Secretary-General has taken no action."

He continued, "First, take action, and if it is believed that the indictment against Deputy Director Kim constitutes political oppression, then the Party Affairs Committee can be convened to recognize an exception according to Paragraph 3 of Article 80," adding, "Everyone nationwide is watching, and members of the National Assembly and party members are paying attention, so I don't understand why no action is being taken according to the party charter."

He further added, "I think that Director Jeong, Representative Noh Woong-rae, who is also under scrutiny, and others should all be handled according to the same standard under the party charter for everyone to agree."

However, the party stated that no discussions have taken place yet. Party spokesperson Park Sung-jun responded at a briefing after the Supreme Council meeting that day, saying, "The application of Article 80 has not come up on the discussion table in the Supreme Council or leadership."

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