Another politician in the National Assembly has gotten the boot for corruption. This one was a pretty big fish:
The minor opposition Democratic Party (DP) faced a crisis Friday, as its chairman, Rep. Hahn Hwa-gahp, was stripped of his National Assembly seat after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction for taking illegal political funds in 2002.
The top court reconfirmed a lower court’s ruling made last February that sentenced him to a suspended jail term of 10 months for taking an illicit political contribution of about 1.05 billion won ($1.1 million) from SK Group during the 2002 presidential campaign.
The fourth-term lawmaker is also supposed to give up chairmanship of the party, according to the Election Law and the Political Party Law.
The party had worked its way back to 12 seats, but will now be four short of the 15 it needs to become a floor negotiating group (which allows party members to introduce legislation). The good news for the Democrats is that Han’s seat is in rural North Jeolla province and they should be able to pick it back up in the next by election.
As for the DP’s chairmanship, can I nominate someone?
6 Comments
Tell us again why you like Chough.
Re: Hahn, my recollection is that this thug (if you’ve ever met him, you know what I mean) has been down this road before, too.
Chough is so over-the-top (even by standard of Korean politicians) that you just have to love the guy.
This is the guy who led the impeachment against Roh, then saw his party get ground into dust in the National Assembly election. Two years later he runs in a by-election in an Uri-held district in Seoul by campaigning on the impeachment… and wins! (Admittedly, it was his old district.)
I remember reading his stuff during the campaign and let me tell you, his smack is so dope and fly that you have to give him some love.
I would have thought that Seongbuk-dong would be solidly GNP. I guess the blue-stocking part of it is well outnumbered by Jolla-saram in what seem to me, but for the prices, to be the equivalent of COOP City style housing projects abundant elsewhere in the district. (I’d be more likely to just give him a smack.)
South Korean politics… it’s like watching Survivor. Winner literally gets $1 million jackpot. (During Jun Doo Hwan’s days, up to a billion!) KCIA is like Jeff Probst’s confessional segments. I guess this show is more entertaining to watch then the show up north where survivors win measly luxury cars and losers get a one way ticket to “exile island”.
The going rate is 10 000 won per vote. The government cracks down once in a while, but not too hard because they know that some of their supporters probably have handed out their fare share of new crisp green bills.
SomeguyinKorea,
On the mark! I see the stories in the English newspapers almost every year. The practice is a matter of course. It is the opposite of what DJ tried to cover up as illegal when he bought his Nobel Prize from the North Koreans.