Seoul: Prosecutors announced they will not appeal a court’s decision to impose fines on current and former lawmakers from the predecessor of the People Power Party (PPP) for their roles in a 2019 physical confrontation at the National Assembly.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Supreme Prosecutors Office issued a press notice stating their decision was influenced by the fact that the lawmakers were found guilty during the first trial and that their actions were not motivated by personal gain. The office also emphasized the importance of concluding a legal battle that has persisted for nearly six years.
Last week, the Seoul Southern District Court levied fines on several key figures involved in the altercation. Rep. Na Kyung-won of the PPP, who was the floor leader of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) at the time, was fined 24 million won (US$16,300). Current PPP floor leader Rep. Song Eon-seog received a fine of 11.5 million won, and former Prime Minister and LKP leader Hwang Kyo-ahn was fined 19 million won.
Despite receiving fines, the lawmakers will maintain their seats in parliament. Under Korean law, a lawmaker’s seat is forfeited only if they are sentenced to imprisonment for criminal charges or fined at least 5 million won for breaching the National Assembly Act.
Rep. Na Kyung-won has expressed her intention to appeal the ruling, asserting that the prosecution should not have pursued the case. If she appeals without the prosecution’s involvement, the court cannot impose a harsher sentence than the initial ruling.
The altercation took place in April 2019, when the LKP tried to obstruct the then ruling Democratic Party and minor parties from fast-tracking a series of reform bills. The proposed legislation aimed to establish an independent agency to investigate corruption among high-ranking government officials. The conflict intensified when a minor party lawmaker was confined to his office for five hours by LKP members.