By Kim Rahn
Some 70 councilors from Seoul urged the National Assembly Tuesday to revise the current laws to prevent “corrupt” local councilors from receiving additional salaries and other allowances if they are held in police custody.
This is one of a number of proposed reform measures that come in the wake of the indictment of fellow councilor, Kim Hyeong-sik, on charges of plotting the murder of a wealthy businessman in March. Kim, who is now behind bars, has refused to give up his seat, and is still on the payroll.
The members of the Seoul Metropolitan Council claimed that councilors should not be paid if they are under arrest for corruption and other charges under the “no-work-no-pay” rule. When such councilors are proven not-guilty after trials, then they would be able to recover their withheld salary retroactively, they said.
“The current law allows detained councilors to keep their jobs and still be entitled to their salary and other allowances even though they cannot attend any council sessions nor do any work,” Kim In-je, a member of the Seoul council, said at a media briefing.
In Seoul’s case, councilors receive 3.7 million won ($3,570) in salary and 1.5 million won in allowances per month.
Kim said corruption and other crimes committed by councilors have been steadily increasing: 78 councilors faced judicial action across the country during their term from 1991 to 1995, 79 from 1995 to 1998, 262 from 1998 to 2002, 293 from 2002 to 2006, and 323 from 2006 to 2010.
“It is a waste of taxes to pay salaries to councilors who are arrested for bribery or corruption. It disappoints citizens who abide by the law,” Kim said. “It is just common sense to limit payments to such councilors until the final verdict from the court comes out.”
As the law is applied to all councils nationwide, the Seoul council cannot change it on its own, so board recommended the revision to the Ministry of Security and Public Administration and the National Assembly’s Security and Public Administration Committee.
The move by city council comes after Kim Hyeong-sik was arrested on charges of conspiracy to murder in July.
According to the prosecution, Kim Hyeong-sik received 520 million won from businessman Song in 2010-2011 to finance his campaign for the city council election. He promised to ease development restrictions for property that Song owned if he were elected.
However, he could not keep the promise as easing property restrictions was beyond his authority. As Song threatened to make the bribe public, Kim urged his friend, Paeng, to kill Song. Paeng told prosecutors that he murdered Song on Kim’s promise to write off any previous debts he owed to him.