(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Kim Yeon-jeong, Park Soo-yoon, Noh Seon-woong, and Jo Daun = On the 20th, the People Power Party's Central Ethics Committee decided to suspend party membership against four active lawmakers, including six-term congressman Cho Kyung-tae, re-elected Kwon Young-jin, Seo Beom-soo, and first-term congressman Jin Jong-oh, who were subject to disciplinary review.
Among them, three lawmakers, Cho Kyung-tae (2 years and 6 months), Jin Jong-oh (2 years), and Kwon Young-jin (1 year and 6 months), will receive a 'severe punishment' that will effectively prevent them from running as People Power Party candidates in the April 2028 general election, which is 1 year and 8 months away.
Rep. Seo Beom-soo was suspended from party membership for 10 months.
The party's ethics committee issued a press release at around 7:40 pm on this day and announced that the results of the disciplinary review were decided at a morning meeting.
The ethics committee can impose disciplinary measures such as expulsion, recommendation for withdrawal from the party, suspension of party membership for between one month and three years, and warning.
Lawmakers who have been subject to disciplinary action can request a retrial within 10 days, but some point out that requesting a retrial will be fruitless given that there is virtually no chance that the results will be changed by the Ethics Committee.
In the case of these lawmakers, if the party leader has 'special reasons' in the future, the disciplinary action can be canceled or suspended through a resolution at the highest level, but this does not seem to be possible under the leadership of Representative Jang Dong-hyuk.
Previously, Rep. Cho was subject to disciplinary action for urging a member of another party to reject his party's candidate Park Deok-heum for vice-president of the National Assembly during the election process for the opposition party's vice-president of the National Assembly.
Rep. Kwon caused a stir by grabbing former and current floor leaders by the collar while protesting the assignment to a standing committee of the National Assembly in the second half of the year, and was brought to the Ethics Committee. Reps. Seo and Jin were subject to disciplinary action for making inappropriate remarks at a National Assembly debate where the victim of the 'Busan Roundhouse Kick' incident was invited.
Rep. Jin's support of independent candidate Han Dong-hoon in the June 3rd Busan Bukgap by-election was also grounds for referral to the Ethics Committee.
In a press release, the Ethics Committee stated that Rep. Cho “conducted actions that went against the party line and undermined the order of the party,” and added, “We determined that the problem was not resolved even during the explanation process.”
Regarding Rep. Jin, it was pointed out that, "After being expelled from the People Power Party, he publicly promoted and supported Han Dong-hoon, who ran as an independent candidate, through broadcasting and social media, and dispatched aides to Han Dong-hoon's promotional YouTube channel, thereby harming the order of the party, contrary to the party's doctrine."
Regarding Rep. Kwon, it was stated, "By using physical force, such as grabbing floor leader Chung by the collar and shouting, he betrayed his dignity as a member of the National Assembly and tarnished the party's honor and prestige." Regarding Rep. Seo, it was explained, "He made inappropriate remarks that could be seen as belittling the pain of the victims of the 'Busan roundhouse kick incident,' tarnishing the reputation of the party and acting against the sentiments of the people."
At the meeting on this day, five out of six ethics committee members, including Chairman Yoon Min-woo, attended, and member Hwang Kyeong-seong, who had called for Chairman Yoon's resignation, did not attend.
Coincidentally, all four people who were disciplined on this day were non-party factions, and had been directly or indirectly creating an angle with Representative Jang Dong-hyuk, who advocates 'disciplinary politics'.
As three of them received severe disciplinary action that would make it impossible for them to run in the next general election, there are observations that conflict within the party could reignite over the appropriateness of the level of disciplinary action.
There is considerable potential for this to escalate into a legal battle, as some may file a request for a temporary injunction from the court due to issues such as the disciplinary procedure or level of disciplinary action.
The parties opposed the ethics committee decision.
Rep. Kwon said on Facebook, "A severe disciplinary action of 1 year and 6 months from party membership is the harshest political punishment that can be imposed while avoiding expulsion or recommendation to withdraw from the party, which requires the consent of the general assembly," and added, "As expected, the Ethics Committee was a faithful hound of Jang Dong-hyuk's party faction."
At the same time, he emphasized, "This disciplinary action is 'unfair disciplinary action' and a 'despicable political retaliatory disciplinary action to silence and retaliate against lawmakers who criticize Jang Dong-hyuk and the party's faction and call for his resignation."
However, he told Yonhap News, "I will not take issues that need to be resolved through politics to the court and seek judgment because this would make politics a travesty and make things difficult for the party."
Rep. Seo said, "I would like to offer my sincere apology for causing concern through my careless words and actions. As a politician, I will be more stringent in my words and actions and will do my best to improve the legal and institutional aspects of the abolition of the right to supplementary investigation." He also added, "I hope that this ethics committee decision is not a disciplinary action to eliminate political opponents who have different opinions."
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon wrote on Facebook targeting CEO Jang, "Selective and arbitrary disciplinary politics to turn the Communist Party into a private party continues," and "He will be abandoned by the people."
