A Seoul court on Thursday fined dozens of lawmakers and officials involved in a 2019 clash at the National Assembly over fast-tracked reform bills, allowing all six incumbent People Power Party lawmakers to retain their seats.
The Seoul Southern District Court convicted Rep. Na Kyung-won, former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and 24 others on charges including obstruction of a public official and violating the National Assembly Act.
Then-Floor Leader Na received a total fine of 24 million won ($16,300), while Hwang, who was then the party chair, was fined 19 million won. Song Eon-seok, the current floor leader of the People Power Party, was fined 11.5 million won.
Other sitting People Power Party lawmakers, including Reps. Lee Man-hee, Kim Jung-jae, Yoon Han-hong and Lee Chul-gyu received fines ranging from 5.5 million won to 11.5 million won.
The defendants were charged in January 2020 for forcibly blocking parliamentary proceedings in April 2019, when opposition lawmakers attempted to stop the fast-track designation of key reform bills, including the establishment of an anti-corruption agency for high-ranking officials and the introduction of a mixed-member proportional representation system.
Prosecutors had sought prison terms of up to two years for Na, 18 months for Hwang and 10 months for Song.
But the court instead imposed fines, meaning none of the sitting lawmakers will lose their positions. Under Korean law, lawmakers are stripped of their seats only if they receive a prison sentence or a fine of at least 5 million won specifically for violating the National Assembly Act.
The court criticized the defendants, saying, “This case marks the first instance in which lawmakers themselves violated the National Assembly’s own decision-making procedures, a system created to reflect on past missteps and restore public trust.”
"Regardless of whether the disputed bills at the center of the conflict were justified, it is undeniable that the defendants damaged public trust in the National Assembly.
Lawmakers, who above all others are required to uphold the Constitution and the law, resorted to illegal means to obstruct the activities of their colleagues,” the court said.
The court stressed that the confrontation “was neither protected by parliamentary immunity nor justified as an act of resistance.”
It also noted that the unusually long duration of the trial, five years and 10 months, was due to the abundant amount of proof, citing 26 defendants, more than 2,000 pieces of evidence, around 50 witnesses and 6 terabytes of video footage.
A separate ruling for Democratic Party lawmakers charged in the same incident is expected early next year, with their final hearing scheduled for Nov. 28.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
