PPP Lawmaker Jin Jong-oh to Seek Court Injunction Against Party Suspension

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- Rep. Jin Jong-oh of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said Thursday he will file for a court injunction to suspend disciplinary action taken against him for supporting an independent candidate in a parliamentary by-election.

The move came after the PPP ethics committee handed Jin a two-year suspension of his party membership for supporting independent candidate Han Dong-hoon for a parliamentary seat in the southeastern city of Busan ahead of the June 3 local elections, despite the PPP running its own candidate in the district.

"I will seek a legal judgment on whether the grounds for disciplinary action were sufficiently proven by objective facts and evidence, whether the conduct constitutes as grounds for disciplinary action under party rules, whether the process was carried out lawfully and fairly, and whether the two-year suspension is proportionate and reasonable from a legal perspective," Jin wrote on Facebook.

The lawmaker was also disciplined over a separate incident involving remarks widely considered insensitive toward the victim of the "roundhouse kick" assault case in Busan during a parliamentary meeting last month.