Former Democratic Party floor leader Kim Byung-kee, who is the subject of multiple allegations, says he will not leave the party voluntarily even if that means facing expulsion.

Kim made his position clear on Monday during an interview with a YouTube creator, denying allegations that he accepted money from former district councilors ahead of the 2020 general elections.

Kim is also accused of failing to intervene despite knowing that an aide to fellow lawmaker Kang Sun-woo received 100 million won in cash during the 2022 local elections, when he served as secretary of the party’s Seoul nomination committee.
 
The former floor leader, who stepped down after the allegations emerged, told the interviewer that while he was deeply sorry for the controversy, he did not want to leave the party, stressing that he would have no reason to continue in politics if he did.

Responding to claims made by former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Soo-jin that Kim received 30 million won from former district councilors in 2020, Kim said the facts surrounding the matter will soon be clarified, adding that the individuals in question were neither general election candidates nor his allies, but political rivals.