Seoul:A parliamentary committee passed a resolution on Friday, led by the ruling Democratic Party (DP), calling for the expulsion of Rep. Kim Tae-kyu. This action was taken in response to Kim's remarks denying that former President Chun Doo-hwan had committed an "insurrection."
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim, a member of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), faced criticism after appearing in a YouTube interview where he stated he did not consider Chun or former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law in December 2024, to have committed insurrection.
Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death in 1996, a sentence later reduced to life imprisonment, on charges including insurrection due to his involvement in a 1979 coup and the military's violent suppression of the Gwangju democratization movement in May 1980.
During a vote at the National Assembly's House Steering Committee, the resolution passed with a 16-0 vote. PPP lawmakers abstained from participating in the vote. DP floor leader Han Byung-do remarked that defending those responsible for insurrection undermines the constitutional order and disqualifies one from serving as a lawmaker, pointing to Kim's comments.
Kim expressed regret in a Facebook post shortly before the vote, acknowledging that his words had led to misunderstandings and vowing to choose his words more carefully in the future.
The resolution passed on Friday does not directly expel Kim. For expulsion to occur, a separate motion must be reviewed by a special ethics committee and then approved by at least two-thirds of all sitting lawmakers at a parliamentary plenary session.