Anchor: The ruling party, rocked by the news that 12 of its lawmakers were allegedly involved in illicit real estate deals, made an unprecedented decision Tuesday, advising these lawmakers to voluntarily leave the party, at least during the investigation.
Koo Hee-jin reports.

Report: The ruling Democratic Party(DP) has advised all 12 of its lawmakers who were allegedly involved in illicit real estate deals to voluntarily leave the party.  

In a swift decision following a report by the anti-corruption watchdog, the ruling party chief spokesperson Koh Yong-jin on Tuesday announced the prompt censure, as the party sought to distance itself from members who may have been involved in speculative trading.

The list includes activist-turned-lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang, one of DP's proportional representatives, who was involved in a controversy last year on allegations that she exploited comfort women, or victims of the Japanese military’s wartime sexual slavery, and their plight. Other names on the list include former student activist and four-term lawmaker Woo Sang-ho.

[Sound bite: Democratic Party chief spokesperson Koh Yong-jin (Korean-English translation)]
"During our last congress, all contenders who vied for the post of party leader jointly pledged to mete out exacting measures on the issue (of real estate speculation), and our Supreme Council made a decision to advise the twelve members to leave the party. The preemptive measure may seem rather excessive when we should, in principle, presume all those accused as innocent. Nevertheless, we hope that those lawmakers leave their status as members of the ruling party and cooperate with the ongoing investigation and resolve any suspicion in order to eradicate any public distrust over the issue."

The party will welcome back the lawmakers with open arms if they are cleared of all charges, Koh said. 

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission examined property transactions of the 174 ruling party lawmakers and their families over the past seven years.

The watchdog identified 16 cases connected to 12 DP lawmakers, with some involving family members.

The probe was commissioned by the party itself amid public outrage over a land speculation scandal involving employees at the state-run Korea Land and Housing Corporation(LH) in March.

The DP spokesperson pointed out that the ruling party members suggested that the main opposition People Power Party(PPP) accept a joint probe by the watchdog, but was promptly rejected.

[Sound bite: Democratic Party chief spokesperson Koh Yong-jin (Korean-English translation)]
"The Democratic Party made a proposal to the People Power Party that all lawmakers be subject to a probe following the LH property speculation scandal in March. However, the PPP rejected our offer, casting doubts on impartiality." 

Six of the cases involved violations of the Farmland Act, followed by three breaches of work-related confidentiality, and one infringement of architectural regulation. The identities of the lawmakers were not revealed in the report.
Koo Hee-jin, KBS World Radio News