Rep. Kim Byung-kee, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), looks pensive during the DPK's supreme council meeting on Dec. 21. Yonhap

Rep. Kim Byung-kee, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has become odd man out. He is facing calls to step down not only from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) but also from within his own party.

Kim faces multiple allegations. He is accused of having been treated to meals worth 700,000 won ($485) by the former CEO of Coupang. He also allegedly accepted prepaid travel vouchers worth 1.6 million won ($1,107) from Korean Air, which he used with his family to stay in a five-star hotel on Jeju Island.

In another allegation, Kim is said to have instructed a legislative staffer to contact Hanwha Group to confirm whether Indonesia’s president-elect was planning to visit the company. He then allegedly relayed the information to his son, a case officer at the National Intelligence Service (NIS), so that it could be reported to his son’s superior.

The PPP demanded Kim’s immediate resignation. “He created the problem, so he must take responsibility,” PPP spokesperson Rep. Park Sung-hoon said on Saturday. Park added that the allegations are serious enough to cost Kim his parliamentary seat and urged him to step down.

The PPP’s reaction comes as little surprise. In a multiparty system, opposition parties routinely seize on allegations of misconduct to press for accountability while positioning themselves as credible alternatives to those in power.

What is unusual, however, is the reaction within the ruling party. Inside the DPK, few lawmakers have come forward to defend their floor leader. Kim has effectively become a besieged figure within his own........

© The Korea Times