Lee Jun-seok 'Expulsion Scenario' Accelerating Ethics Committee... Ruling Party Denies 'Baseless'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok has speculated that there is a 'expulsion scenario' targeting him, drawing attention to the possibility of its realization. Some claim that the PPP might move up the Ethics Committee meeting scheduled for the 28th to expel Lee, but the PPP has dismissed this as 'groundless.'

On the 15th, Lee shared a link to a report on social networking services (SNS) stating that the party's Ethics Committee is considering moving up the plenary meeting scheduled for the 28th to the following week, saying, "It seems they want to attempt the expulsion procedure through the Ethics Committee before the injunction and then try to have the injunction dismissed. It looks like they don't want to accept the outcome of the injunction. It's like agreeing to box and putting on gloves, but suddenly pulling out a knife?what is that?"

Jang Sung-chul, director of the Sympathy and Debate Policy Center, also expressed suspicion on his Facebook on the 16th, saying, "The PPP Ethics Committee is reportedly moving up the meeting scheduled for the 28th to as early as Monday afternoon, the 19th. Surely, this isn't because of the disciplinary case against Lee Jun-seok, right?"

However, the PPP stated that there are no plans to move up the Ethics Committee meeting. Senior spokesperson Park Jeong-ha said, "The claim that the meeting will be moved up is groundless," adding, "It is unconfirmed information."

Lee officially raised the 'Lee Jun-seok expulsion scenario' on the 15th. On that day, he appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "In my view, they will create a pretext to make a 'expulsion scenario' and say 'he is no longer a party member.' I think the scheduled Ethics Committee meeting on the 28th is like bait. If they wanted, they could hold the Ethics Committee meeting tonight," he claimed.

There is speculation that the PPP intends to move up the Ethics Committee meeting, expel Lee, and then argue that he is not a party member eligible to file an injunction. During the second and third injunction hearings held on the 14th, the PPP argued that Lee, whose party membership was suspended due to disciplinary action, lacked the standing to seek suspension of the disciplinary effect.

Meanwhile, Lee fired a direct shot at floor leader Kwon Seong-dong, who targeted him, on SNS, saying, "The party leader who contributed 34.8% to the presidential election victory, according to the public's opinion, is being called a party leader who internally criticizes by the 'Yun core group' that contributed 4.7%, while the president contributed 24.1%. Behind the scenes, they are badmouthing and trying to monopolize political power through reckless moves." This was a rebuttal to Kwon's remarks at the last floor strategy meeting, where he said, "While the Democratic Party is united, our former party leader keeps relentlessly throwing stones at the president and the party."

Lee said, "If the injunction had been accepted initially and the court's judgment was simply accepted, we would be living in a different parallel world. It wasn't Lee Jun-seok who started this; it was you who planned to collectively lynch and stone him."

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