Some DP lawmakers oppose to the amendment of the Party Constitution

The Democratic Party of South Korea’s party convention preparation committee voted on Tuesday to push ahead with the amendment of Article 80 of the Party’s Constitution, which has been criticized for practically giving immunity to ex-presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. Article 80(1) states that any party official who has been indicted by the prosecution shall be prohibited from serving as a party official.

The amendment proposal seeks to change the part concerning prosecutorial indictment into “suspension of duty in the event of a judgment of guilty with punishment of imprisonment in the first instance trial.” At the general assembly, there was an outpouring of the voices of denunciation, and some assemblymen who have served three terms have convened an emergency meeting where they agreed to officially deliver their opposition to the amendment to the emergency steering committee. There seems to be a long way to go until the final passage of the amendment proposal.

In a meeting with reporters, spokesmen of the convention preparation committee Jeon Yong-gi said that the committee decided that any party official who has been sentenced to imprisonment with labor in the trial court will be suspended from serving his or her duty. “If a party official is later found not guilty in the second instance or final appellate court or is sentenced to lesser punishment than imprisonment with labor, the effect of the suspension of duty will expire,” said the spokesman. He denied the accusation that the amendment is intended for exclusively giving favors to Lee Jae-myung.

The opposition party’s convention preparation committee stated that a party official who is sentenced to imprisonment with labor in the first trial could be exempt from the suspension of duty by the resolution of the party’s supreme council if the ethics deliberation committee finds out that such conviction is political. This decision has come as the party’s supreme leadership would be constituted mostly by pro-Lee officials, with four candidates who are in favor of Lee Jae-myung were listed in top five candidates for the party’s supreme leadership.

The lawmakers who have served more than three terms held an emergency meeting where they agreed on fighting against the passage of the amendment proposal. Lawmaker Lee Won-uk met with reporters and said that majority of the party officials opposes to the amendment of the Party’s Constitution, and even if amendments are necessary, party officials think that now is not the time to discuss it. Lee said that he would deliver such an opinion to the emergency steering committee. The amendment proposal will have to be approved by the emergency steering committee, executive council, and central committee to become final and conclusive.


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