The move was made following allegations against Kim for lobbying against Pyeongchang’s bid for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Kim Han-won, chairman of the National Assembly special committee investigating South Korea’s failed bid, said since there was no answer from Kim to the charges by the committee’s deadline, "and no measures were taken, there was no choice but to refer the case to the ethics committee after consultations with Assembly speaker Park Kwan-yong."
It is unknown as yet whether the ethics committee will accept the parliamentary committee’s recommendation.
The ethics committee has the power to demand an apology from Kim or call on the National Assembly’s plenary session to vote to oust him from his legislative seat.
A parliamentary committee has referred Kim Un-yong, vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to an ethics committee.
