A rookie lawmaker of the ruling Grand National Party lost his parliamentary seat as the top court Friday upheld his conviction for accepting illegal political donations.
Rep. Hyun Kyoung-byoung of the GNP became the 21st member of the 18th National Assembly to lose his seat for violation of the election or political fund laws.
Hyun was indicted on charges of accepting a total of 130 million won ($120,000) from a local golf club owner between 2008 and 2010 on several occasions.
Hyun K.B.
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a lower court ruling that slapped him 3 million won in fines and an additional 30 million won in forfeiture.
Under the current election law, a confirmed jail term or a fine of more than 1 million won results in the nullification of parliamentary seats.
The latest ruling reduced the number of GNP seats to 171 in the 299-seat assembly.
By Kim So-hyun (
sophie@heraldcorp.com)