Parliamentary committee pushes for expulsion of opposition lawmaker over Chun Doo-hwan remarks
A parliamentary committee led by the Democratic Party voted to demand the expulsion of opposition lawmaker Kim Tae-kyu for denying that former President Chun Doo-hwan committed an insurrection.
On Friday, the House Steering Committee of South Korea’s National Assembly, dominated by the ruling Democratic Party, passed a resolution urging the expulsion of People Power Party representative Kim Tae-kyu. The call followed Kim’s appearance in a YouTube interview where he rejected the label of insurrection for former President Chun Doo-hwan’s 1979 coup and the 1980 Gwangju crackdown, and also dismissed former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s December 2024 martial-law declaration as an insurrection.
The committee’s vote was unanimous, 16-0, with PPP lawmakers abstaining. DP floor leader Han Byung-do said that defending those who committed insurrection undermines a lawmaker’s qualification. Kim later expressed regret on Facebook, apologising for the misunderstanding his remarks caused and promising more careful wording. The resolution itself does not expel him; a separate motion must be reviewed by a special ethics committee and approved by at least two-thirds of all sitting lawmakers in a plenary session.
Why it matters
The move highlights escalating partisan conflict and potential disciplinary action against a South Korean lawmaker.
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