DP lawmaker fined 10 mln won, faces loss of Assembly seat

A court in Gwangju, South Korea, has fined Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeong Jun-ho 10 million won ($7,220) for breaking election and political fund regulations. If the punishment is upheld, this could result in the loss of his National Assembly seat. The Gwangju District Court, located 270 kilometers south of Seoul, also ordered Jeong to hand over 50 million won related to the same allegations.

Jeong faced charges for receiving 50 million won from a construction company's CEO in July 2023. This sum was allegedly given in exchange for promising to employ the executive's child as his legislative assistant if Jeong won a seat in the National Assembly. Additionally, he was accused of making illegal payments to his campaign workers for operating a telephone campaign center between November 2023 and February 2024, prior to the Democratic Party of Korea's 2024 presidential primary.

According to South Korean law, lawmakers who receive a finalized penalty of a fine of 1 million won or more for violating election or political fund laws have their seats in the Assembly stripped.