Lee Yang-hee Appointed as Ethics Committee Chair of the People Power Party... Will He Make a Decision on 'Lawmakers Leaving the Party'?

Discussion on the Status of 6 Lawmakers with Real Estate Allegations by the Anti-Corruption Commission
Possibility of Considering Expulsion of Kwak Sang-do

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The People Power Party has set the wheels in motion for the formation of the Ethics Committee by appointing Professor Lee Yang-hee of Sungkyunkwan University as the chairperson. Attention is focused on whether the People Power Party, which has been criticized for delaying disciplinary actions, will make a decisive move through the Ethics Committee.

On the 14th, the People Power Party held a Supreme Council meeting and approved the appointment of Chairperson Lee. Following the meeting, Lee Jun-seok, the party leader, told reporters, "Chairperson Lee will appoint the ethics committee members, and once we approve them, the Ethics Committee activities will commence immediately."

Regarding the future activities of the Ethics Committee, he said, "Basically, issues raised within the party will be addressed, and an ethics officer will be appointed to conduct investigations," adding, "When competition among candidates is intense, activating the Ethics Committee helps ease internal party conflicts."

According to the party regulations of the People Power Party, the Ethics Committee is composed of up to nine members, both from inside and outside the party, appointed by the party leader with the approval of the Supreme Council.

Once the Ethics Committee is formed, discussions are expected to take place on pending disciplinary matters within the party. First, there is the issue of handling six lawmakers who are suspected of violating real estate-related laws following a comprehensive investigation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and who have been requested by the party leadership to be expelled or to resign from the party.

The party leadership decided to expel lawmaker Han Moo-kyung and requested lawmakers Kang Ki-yoon, Lee Ju-hwan, Lee Cheol-gyu, Jung Chan-min, and Choi Chun-sik to leave the party, but none of them voluntarily resigned. Subsequently, the party leadership announced the formation of the Ethics Committee to address these cases but had delayed its formation due to allegations such as the "accusation of instigating complaints" and the Daejang-dong scandal.

Earlier, on June 6, Leader Lee had warned of a tough stance, stating, "At the very least, the standards should be stricter than those of the Democratic Party of Korea and meet the expectations of the public," making it difficult to avoid a decisive action.

Additionally, the issue of expelling lawmaker Kwak Sang-do, who already left the party amid controversy over his son's 5 billion won retirement pay from Hwacheon Daeyu, is also expected to be discussed. Previously, Leader Lee stated that "disciplinary measures by the Ethics Committee are being reviewed" regarding Kwak's status.

Meanwhile, Chairperson Lee was appointed in 2014 as the first Korean UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and served until last year. She is the daughter of Lee Cheol-seung, former leader of the New Democratic Party and a political rival of President Park Chung-hee. In July last year, she was appointed as the party audit committee chairperson of the United Future Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.