The National Election Commission has completed the succession process for the proportional representation seat of the former leader of the National Innovation Party, Cho Kuk, who lost his parliamentary seat due to a confirmed prison sentence. As a result, the number of opposition lawmakers expected to support the impeachment vote against President Yoon Suk-yeol, scheduled for the 14th, is likely to remain at 192 votes, the same as the first vote.
The Central Election Commission announced on the 13th that Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, notified them of the vacancy due to Cho Kuk’s loss of his proportional representation seat. Consequently, Baek Sun-hee, who was number 13 on the recommended list of proportional representation candidates, has been appointed as the successor.
According to the Public Official Election Act, when a vacancy arises for proportional representation members, a successor must be appointed within ten days based on the order on the party’s candidate list from the election time. With the decision by the Central Election Commission, Baek Sun-hee, former Policy Operations Commissioner of the Low Birth Rate and Aging Society Committee, will register as the National Innovation Party’s proportional representative in place of Cho Kuk.
During the 22nd general election, the National Innovation Party secured parliamentary seats up to number 12 on their proportional representation list, with Cho Kuk being number 2 and Baek being number 13.
The Supreme Court’s 3rd Division, presided by Justice Eom Sang-pil, confirmed the lower court’s ruling on the 12th, sentencing Cho to two years in prison and a 6 million won fine for charges including obstruction of business, violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, and abuse of power. As a result, Cho lost his parliamentary seat and was deprived of his candidacy rights for five years.
There had been concerns that if the succession process was not completed before the impeachment vote on the 14th, the total number of opposition lawmakers who publicly expressed their intent to support the impeachment might decrease from 192 to 191 seats. However, this concern has been alleviated by the Central Election Commission’s measures. Prior to Cho’s Supreme Court ruling, an election commission official mentioned in a conversation with Segye Ilbo, “If a situation of losing the parliamentary seat arises, the procedures will be promptly carried out without delay.”