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Rep. Na keeps her Assembly seat after court fines her, other conservatives for 2019 fracas

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 17:34 Updated: 20 Nov. 2025, 18:02

Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party leaves the Seoul Southern District Court in western Seoul, after a ruling in her trial for obstruction and violations of the National Assembly Act on Nov. 20. [YONHAP]

A Seoul court on Wednesday sentenced Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party (PPP) to fines that fall short of stripping her of her seat, allowing her to remain in office. The ruling also handed fines to former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and other former lawmakers and aides of the Liberty Korea Party — the PPP's predecessor — implicated in the 2019 “fast-track” clashes at the National Assembly.

The decision came five years and 10 months after prosecutors brought charges and six years and seven months after the confrontation itself. In the meantime, Korea held two presidential elections, two general elections and one round of local elections.

The Seoul Southern District Court found Na guilty of obstructing special public officials and violating the National Assembly Act. It fined her 20 million won ($14,000) for obstruction and 4 million won for violating assembly rules. The court imposed fines of 15 million won and 4 million won on Hwang. Floor leader Song Eon-seog received fines of 10 million won for obstruction and 1.5 million won for violating the Assembly Act.

Under election law, lawmakers lose their seats if they receive a prison sentence or a fine of 5 million won or more for violating Article 166 of the Assembly Act. For obstruction of special public duties, a prison sentence is grounds for removal. With Thursday’s ruling, Na and Song keep their seats. Other PPP lawmakers, including Kim Jung-jae, Lee Man-hee and Yoon Han-hong, also avoided penalties that would cost them their positions.

Prosecutors charged the group over clashes in April 2019, when they tried to block the Democratic Party’s (DP) attempts to fast-track bills on election reform and the creation of a high-level corruption investigation unit. Twenty-three sitting lawmakers and four staffers were indicted. Charges against the late Rep. Chang Je-won were dismissed.

Prosecutors said the defendants occupied offices and committee rooms, disrupting proceedings in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Special Committees on Political Reform and Judicial Reform. They also accused them of detaining Rep. Chae Yi-bae of the Bareunmirae Party for six hours to keep him from attending a meeting. The National Assembly Act bars anyone from obstructing a lawmaker’s access to committee rooms and prohibits any violent act intended to disrupt proceedings.

Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn leaves the Seoul Southern District Court in western Seoul after a ruling in his trial for obstruction and violations of the National Assembly Act on Nov. 20. [NEWS1]

Members of the Democratic Party attempt to break into the assembly hall at the National Assembly in western Seoul on April 26, 2019, after members of the Liberty Korea Party (now People Power Party) locked the doors to stop the fast-track bills put forward by the DP. [NEWS1]

“The lawmakers, who are expected to adhere more strictly to the Constitution and the law, resorted to illegal means to block their fellow lawmakers and interfere with parliamentary operations,” the court said Thursday. "Their actions are serious offenses that damaged public trust and are subject to severe criticism. It was the first time lawmakers violated the Assembly’s own decision-making procedures — created in reflection of past failures — undermining that very effort from within.”

The judge added that it was unreasonable to claim that Liberty Korea Party lawmakers had no choice but to use physical force to attend meetings. “It is more accurate to say they effectively abandoned participation in the proceedings," said the ruling.

The court accepted all charges filed by prosecutors, but still accepted part of the defense argument that they acted to counter what they described as the DP’s “unlawful legislative push.”

“The defendants appeared to act out of political motivation, attempting to raise awareness about the flaws of the contested bills and their unfairness,” the judge said. “In the end, the bills passed, and the violence exercised was indirect, such as physically blocking opponents’ access. This context must be taken into account.”

The PPP interpreted the ruling as a recognition by the judiciary of the need to resist the DP’s “legislative tyranny.”

The National Assembly hall's main chair is seen empty on Oct. 31, 2019, due to conflict between the two main parties. [YONHAP]

Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Na said, “It is deeply regrettable that a political incident was dragged through the judiciary for six years.” She added, “The court clearly acknowledged the legitimacy of our political protest. In some ways, this ruling marks the beginning of the DP’s legislative dictatorship.”

On whether she would appeal, Na said she would “think it over and review further.”

Some critics highlighted the delay in reaching a first-instance verdict.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said Chun Sam-hyun, a law professor at Soongsil University, noting that many of the defendants completed their four-year terms as 20th Assembly members and left office over five years ago. The court remarked that the series of elections held in the interim provided a measure of public judgment.

A separate trial involving 10 DP figures, including Rep. Park Beom-kye, is ongoing. A sentencing hearing at the same court’s criminal agreement division 12 is scheduled for Nov. 28.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JEONG-JAE [[email protected]]