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| ▲ Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) floor leader Rep. Song Eon-seog speaks at the party's headquarters in western Seoul on Dec. 31, 2025. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Rep. Kang Sun-woo (Yonhap) |
bribery allegations-politics
Main opposition steps up political attack against ruling party over bribery allegations surrounding lawmaker
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Friday lashed out at the ruling Democratic Party (DP) over its response to bribery allegations involving a lawmaker expelled from the party, calling for a special counsel investigation.
The DP has recently been rocked by allegations that an aide of Rep. Kang Sun-woo allegedly received 100 million won (US$69,250) from a Seoul city councilor in the lead-up to the 2022 local elections in exchange for a constituency nomination.
The DP expelled Kang from the party Thursday, hours after she announced she would leave the party.
"The DP should not try to brush this over with a slap-on-the-wrist disciplinary show," PPP floor leader Rep. Song Eon-seog said. "Special counsel investigations that the DP so cherishes and thinks of as a panacea are meant to be used in such situations."
The case has recently drawn public attention after a local media outlet released an audio recording of Kang discussing the episode with Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the same party, who at the time served as the secretary of the DP's Seoul nomination committee.
Kim, who also faces additional allegations of misconduct, resigned from the party's floor leadership Tuesday. The DP has decided to take disciplinary measures against the lawmaker.
"The allegations of payments in exchange for nominations are a grave matter that could seriously damage trust in nomination and election procedures, which are central to democracy," Rep. Choi Eun-seok, the PPP's senior floor spokesperson, said in a commentary.
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