▲ Han Dong-hoon (L), the leader of the ruling People Power Party, speaks at an emergency leadership committee meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 18, 2024. (Yonhap)

PPP leader-book publishing event

PPP leader vows to root out practice of fundraising through book publishing events

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- The leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) promised Thursday to seek to ban lawmakers from receiving political funds through book publishing events after winning April's parliamentary elections.

In South Korea, many lawmakers and those who plan to run for the National Assembly often hold book publishing events in the run-up to elections, in which they meet supporters and sell books authored under their names.

It is no secret that such events have been effectively used as a channel for political fund donations, as book purchases are usually made in cash and lawmakers are not required to report profits.

There are no laws explicitly regulating such events, except for a clause in the Public Official Election Act, which bans candidates from holding book publishing events 90 days prior to an election.

"Until now, we know that we've effectively allowed people to hold book publishing events and receive political funds far exceeding the actual price of the book," the PPP's leader, Han Dong-hoon, said in an emergency leadership committee meeting.

"Someone, at some point, needs to decisively put an end to this," he said.

Thursday's proposal is the fifth among a series of political reform measures Han has suggested. He previously proposed measures such as giving up immunity from arrest for lawmakers and downsizing the National Assembly to 250 seats from the current 300.

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