On August 29, the fifth day since People Power Party lawmaker Yun Hee-suk expressed her intention to give up her parliamentary seat following her father’s alleged violation of the Farmland Act, ruling and opposition lawmakers continued their debate on whether Yun’s resignation was appropriate. If the Democratic Party of Korea opposes, Yun’s resignation is not likely to be accepted. As attention shifts to the debate on Yun’s resignation, questions concerning irregularities linked to the real estate owned by elected officials and their families are getting less attention.

This day in politics, the nation witnessed members of Yun’s party encouraging her to step down as lawmaker, while the members of the Democratic Party tried to stop her. This was an unusual scene that occurred after Yun expressed her intention to step down on August 25, the day after the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced officials with questionable real estate transactions.

Democratic Party spokesperson Lee Yong-bin released a comment and said, “The key is not whether she resigns. The key is the alleged illegal real estate speculation,” and added, “If Yun does not want to be ridiculed for announcing her resignation, she should first leave her party and determine her political future according to the results of a follow-up investigation.” Independent lawmaker Yang-Yi Won-young, who was expelled from the Democratic Party after the Anti-Corruption Commission disclosed the alleged violation of the Farmland Act by her mother last June, also wrote on social media, “Yun and the People Power Party applied guilt-by-association and fiercely attacked me for the allegations concerning my mother,” and further wrote, “It’s strange that she abruptly proposed to resign her seat in the National Assembly when we called for her to explain the allegations.”

Meanwhile, in the People Power Party, voices argued that they should respect the thoughts of Yun to step down. In an interview with JTBC this day, the party leader, Lee Jun-seok said, “She (Yun) is willing to give up any unreasonable privileges she can enjoy as a lawmaker during the investigation.” He also said, “I think it is right to accept Yun’s decision,” and expressed his intention to approve the resignation. Lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo, a presidential candidate, also wrote on social media the previous day, “It is right to accept the resignation and have her undergo the investigation on speculation by a special government-wide investigation team as a natural person,” and added, “We should no longer glorify or condemn this (Yun’s resignation). That would just be an argument of ideological camps.”

For Yun to step down, support from the Democratic Party is essential since the ruling party occupies 171 seats of the total 300 seats in the National Assembly. To pass her resignation, more than half of the registered lawmakers have to be present in the plenary session and more than half of the lawmakers present must vote in favor of the resignation. The Democratic Party is opposing the resignation claiming the party “will not act as a foil for Yun’s resignation.” This seems to be based in part on the judgment that if the National Assembly passes Yun’s resignation, it could create a contrast with ruling party lawmakers that the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission named in connection to questionable real estate transactions.

On August 27, Yun told the Democratic Party lawmakers who suggested her involvement in the questionable real estate transactions to resign if the investigative agency dropped the charges against her, raising the stakes in the controversy on her resignation.

The overheating argument over Yun’s resignation is swallowing up necessary questions to prevent recurrence of similar problems, questions such as why real estate allegations concerning ruling and opposition party lawmakers and their families continue to emerge; whether the follow-on response from the ruling and opposition parties were appropriate; and whether the National Assembly is making progress in discussions to improve the system. On August 24, when the Anti-Corruption Commission announced the results of its investigation on the real estate owned by lawmakers of the People Power Party, the commission suggested the need to establish a system to verify the lawfulness of real estate possession and purchase by lawmakers and their families, along with the need to revise specific standards and procedures to prevent any clash of interests when lawmakers review real estate development-related agenda.

- Yoon Seok-youl Announces His Real Estate Policy: Former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl, a People Power Party presidential candidate, answers questions from the press after announcing his real estate policy at the party’s main office in Yeouido, Seoul on August 29. National Assembly press photographers