Korean lawmakers raised 31 billion won ($27.6 million) in political donations last year with opposition parties drawing more funds than their conservative rivals ahead of the general and presidential elections later this year, the election watchdog said Thursday.
The total amount of political contributions shrank compared to 47.7 billion won in 2010 and 41.1 billion won in 2009, the National Election Commission (NEC) said in an annual report.
Among the top 20 fundraisers, 11 were from the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) and seven were from the ruling Saenuri Party, the NEC said. Two lawmakers from minor parties, one progressive and one conservative, rounded out the top 20.
Rep. Park Young-sun of the DUP raised the most donations with 213 million won, more than double the average of 104 million won per lawmaker recorded in 2011.
The latest results show a reversal from a year earlier when 16 ruling party and 4 opposition party lawmakers were listed in the top 20.
"Investigations into illegal political donations and political distrust seem to have shriveled the small donations," an NEC official said. "The DUP has seen its revenue from party membership subscriptions more than double in the last two years, while the Saenuri Party saw a 10 percent decrease (in the cited period)."
Prosecutors indicted six ruling and opposition lawmakers early last year on charges of receiving bribes from a security guard association in return for passing legislation aimed at improving their pay and working conditions. The legislators were convicted of violating the political donation law and fined by the local courts.
South Korea's political funding law prohibits a company or an organization from making donations to politicians or their aid association, though it allows individuals to donate up to 100,000 won at a time for tax breaks with an annual ceiling of 5 million won.
Under the law, a legislator can draw up to 150 million won per year, while the maximum limit doubles in the year when nationwide elections are held. This year, South Korea elects a new parliament in April and a president in December for the first time in two decades.
The 2004 funding law was aimed at improving transparency in political funding that is susceptible to corruption and influence trading for favorable legislation. (Yonhap)