'Bill under floor review … discussed it Monday'
'May 18 remarks fall outside constitutional and social ethics'
On Ju Jin-woo's social media post: 'Hard to have a long political career that way'
'Will work with Assembly speaker to make ethics panel penalties meaningful'
Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok said Tuesday the party is discussing legislation that would suspend a lawmaker's right to carry out Assembly duties for a set period, taking aim at People Power Party lawmakers Lee Jin-suk and Ju Jin-woo over a string of inflammatory remarks.
Speaking on the YouTube program "Minti07" that day, Kim said the idea of suspending activity rights for a fixed period — rather than expulsion — was originally his own proposal. "Even in the worst case, if expulsion is off the table, the alternative is to suspend activity rights for a set period — that was my original idea," he said. "A bill reflecting that is already out there, and the floor leadership is working through it. We discussed it Monday as well."
Kim said he believes the party should take a bolder approach to resolving such issues. "My understanding is that the floor leadership is conducting a final, careful review," he added.
Directing his remarks at Lee, Kim said comments related to the May 18 pro-democracy uprising "fall outside the bounds of the constitution and social ethics," and that the National Assembly must draw a clear line. "I think the time has come for the Assembly to do exactly that," he said.
He said it was frustrating that problematic conduct was not being addressed — ethical violations through ethics channels and legal violations through legal ones. "I have rarely seen anyone with a long political career who enjoys that kind of wordplay — and calling it wordplay is already putting it mildly," he said.
Turning to Ju, Kim said the lawmaker had a reputation for doing more of what he accused others of. "He raises questions about how the other side built their wealth, but when it comes down to it, there are plenty of questions about how a grandfather in his own family passed on a large sum to a young grandchild — and whether that process was all that transparent," Kim said.
Ju drew controversy Monday after posting a message on social media targeting President Lee Jae Myung with a crude play on his name.
Kim criticized the post, saying, "That kind of behavior — taking things to an extreme without any self-reflection, dressed up as wordplay — is not something that lasts long."
He also said he would work with the Assembly speaker to ensure the ethics panel moves beyond its current state of having a name but no real disciplinary power. "We will take at least one more step forward to overcome this situation," he said.
The National Assembly's special ethics committee has gone unformed for 29 months since the 22nd National Assembly was launched. The Democratic Party submitted a resolution on Oct. 1 to constitute the committee with 12 members split evenly between the ruling and opposition parties, but the People Power Party has pushed back, insisting on equal representation based on the existing negotiating-bloc formula.
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