Jeong Jeomsik: "Will Push to Expel Kim Byungki and Kang Sunwoo... Kim Minseok Must Apologize"

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeomsik said on October 15, regarding independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, formerly of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was sentenced to prison and taken into custody in court in the first trial on charges of accepting bribes in connection with party nominations, “We will push to expel Kim Byung-ki and Kang Sun-woo, the bribery-and-abuse-of-power duo, from the National Assembly,” adding, “Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok must apologize to the people.”

Jeong Jeomsik, floor leader of the People Power Party, delivers opening remarks at a meeting on preparations for the parliamentary audit at the National Assembly on October 6, 2026. 2026.10.06 Photo by Yoon Dongju

Speaking at a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly that day, Jeong said, “The case involving lawmaker Kang is not an individual corruption case but a Democratic Party nomination bribery scandal. Leader Kim must apologize instead of trying to cut ties with those involved,” making the remarks.

Regarding the first-trial verdict against Kang, Jeong said, “Investigations and trials proceed at the speed of light for opposition lawmakers, but at an endlessly slow pace for ruling party lawmakers,” adding, “Former lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong, who was affiliated with the People Power Party, went from investigation to trial in just one year, but only now has a first-trial ruling been issued in Kang Sun-woo’s case.”

Regarding independent lawmaker Kim Byung-ki, formerly of the ruling party, who is under investigation over allegations including nomination-related bribery, Jeong said, “Kang’s case looks mild by comparison. Kim Byung-ki has not even been indicted after more than a year,” adding, “The police investigation has lost its edge.”

Jeong also addressed allegations that members of a religious organization had joined the ruling party en masse, saying, “Both the Min Joong-ki special counsel team and the joint investigation headquarters of the police and prosecution were aware of indications that members of the religious organization had joined the Democratic Party en masse, but they turned a blind eye to and concealed the allegations involving the ruling party to pin the religious-political collusion narrative on the People Power Party.” He added, “The Democratic Party says it will carefully consider how to handle the matter and then decide, but what authority do the people who should be investigated have to deliberate on how to handle it?”

Jeong said, “The police must wrap up their investigation into Kim Byung-ki as soon as possible and immediately begin a compulsory investigation into the mass membership of the religious organization,” adding, “As they did with the People Power Party, the police should start by searching and seizing the Democratic Party’s membership records.”

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