Court upholds conviction of UPP members

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the convictions of two Unified Progressive Party members for voting fraud in last year’s in-house primary.

Only identified by their surnames Lee and Baek, the members of the minor opposition party were sentenced to one year in prison with three years suspended.

They and other party members were put on trial for voting in place of other party members after receiving voting orders through phone text messages during last year’s elections to select UPP proportional representatives for the National Assembly.

The court decision spells trouble for UPP Rep. Lee Seok-ki, who was picked to serve as a National Assembly member through the elections.

He was arrested in September for allegedly plotting an armed revolt.

The verdict came on the same day the ruling Saenuri Party convened the National Assembly Special Committee on Ethics to review a motion to remove Lee from the parliament.

The main opposition Democratic Party members boycotted the committee gathering however, arguing that local courts had yet to rule on Lee’s suspected crimes.

“I’ve asked DP lawmakers on several occasions for them to join us in discussing this issue, but they’ve a very hands-off take on Rep. Lee’s case,” said ruling Saenuri Party Rep. Yeom Dong-yeol, a member of the special committee.

Rep. Lee has been undergoing court proceedings over accusations he conspired to destroy government buildings in the event of North Korean troops invading the South with members of the so-called “Revolutionary Organization,” a suspected anti-government cabal. Speculation that the lawmaker had personal bodyguards who regularly held physical training sessions also surfaced as the trial went on.

Lee and fellow UPP lawmakers have strongly denied the allegations, instead accusing ruling party lawmakers of unfairly targeting left-wing lawmakers.

“The evidence (against Rep. Lee Seok-ki) was attained through questionable routes. Witness accounts were also obtained through similar methods. This case has all the ingredients of a political witch-hunt” said UPP chairperson Lee Jung-hee.

It remains uncertain, however, if the National Assembly will vote to remove Rep. Lee because the proposal would require a two-thirds majority. The Saenuri Party holds 153 of parliament’s 298 seats while the DP occupies 127. The UPP currently has six seats.


By Jeong Hunny
(hj257@heraldcorp.com)