By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
The Seoul District Court Thursday sentenced Rep. Kim Jae-yun of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) to 18 months in prison and fined 300 million won ($260,000) for taking kickbacks.
Kim is accused of taking bribes in June 2007 in return for helping a business obtain a permit to establish a for-profit hospital on Jeju Island.
The sentence, if upheld by the appeals and supreme courts, is heavy enough to strip the lawmaker of his National Assembly membership.
Under election law, lawmakers are stripped of their Assembly seats if they receive a fine of 1 million won or more, or are sentenced to a prison term.
Moon Kook-hyun, leader of the minor opposition Renewal of Korea Party, lost his parliamentary seat last October for a secret cash-for-parliamentary-seat deal, after the Supreme Court upheld a ruling made by the high court.