The National Assembly has signed off on the resignation of independent lawmaker Kwak Sang-do mired in controversy over his son's exorbitant severance package from a firm at the center of a land development scandal in Seongnam.

Fellow lawmakers cast their ballots during Thursday's plenary session,  with 194 lawmakers votes in favor, 41 nays and 17 abstentions on Kwak's resignation. 

Kwak, who is under investigation by prosecutors, declared he would step down last month amid speculation that his son's severance pay of five billion won from Hwacheon Daeyu, the asset management firm accused of reaping exorbitant profit from the Seongnam land development project, was in fact bribes for his lawmaker father.
 
Former member of the main opposition People Power Party(PPP) Kwak decided to step down as a lawmaker after facing mounting criticism from within the PPP. He left the party in September amid mounting speculations over the issue.

The prosecution, conducting a probe on the scandal, is expected to summon Kwak for questioning soon regarding these allegations.