Judicial Risk Realized in Minju... 'Party Charter Article 80' Resurfaces as a Trigger

Party's Silent Faction Raises Need to Discuss Suspension of Party Duties
Top Leadership Discussion Pending... "Focus on Opposition Suppression"
Former Emergency Committee Chair: "Political Judgment of Leadership"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] As members of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have consecutively become targets of prosecution by the prosecution, the party's internal rule Article 80, which suspends the duties of party officials indicted on charges of corruption, is resurfacing as a flashpoint of internal conflict. With the deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute Kim Yong, and the political coordination chief of the party leader’s office Jeong Jin-sang, as well as the possibility of future investigations into party leader Lee Jae-myung, there are calls for a series of measures, though opposition voices are also significant.

A senior lawmaker from the ‘Non-Lee faction’ within the DPK said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 22nd, "Among some lawmakers, there is talk that the application of Article 80 is necessary," adding, "Since this is stipulated in the party’s rules, it is a natural responsibility for the party leadership to discuss and decide what to do when party officials are under judicial investigation, detained, or indicted." He continued, "Remaining silent and avoiding action just because they are close to Leader Lee is wrong," emphasizing, "If the individuals themselves think it is inappropriate to maintain their party positions, they should resign quickly or resolve the issue."

According to Article 80, Paragraph 1 of the party rules, the Secretary-General must suspend the duties of party officials at all levels who are indicted on charges related to corruption such as bribery and illegal political funds, and may request an investigation by the Ethics Tribunal at all levels simultaneously with the indictment. The issue resurfaced after DPK lawmakers Park Yong-jin and Cho Eung-cheon said, "It is time to discuss the application of Article 80."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Within the party, there are also opinions that the party leadership should not interfere with the investigation itself. A first-term DPK lawmaker pointed out, "Because the party keeps highlighting the investigation, the public perceives it as being connected to Leader Lee," adding, "Since they are already effectively retired while detained, applying Article 80 is meaningless."

Despite internal concerns, the leadership has yet to hold concrete discussions. According to a senior official, no discussion related to ‘Article 80’ took place at the closed-door Supreme Council meeting held the previous afternoon. The official explained, "Currently, the response is focused on the ‘opposition party suppression’ narrative regarding the investigation, so discussions about Article 80 will be considered as the overall situation unfolds." Floor spokesperson Oh Young-hwan also responded to related questions after the floor strategy meeting by saying, "No official position has been confirmed."

Article 80 became controversial as a ‘Lee Jae-myung shield clause’ during the DPK’s party convention preparations last August. It was amended with a proviso allowing changes through a resolution of the Party Affairs Committee. During this process, the Non-Lee faction and the pro-Lee faction showed extreme confrontation. At that time, Lee Jae-myung, the party leader candidate, said, "I thought the content of Article 80 was excessive, but from the perspective of unity, I didn’t think it was necessary to forcibly push through the amendment by fighting," thus leading to a reconciliation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Woo Sang-ho, former emergency committee chairman who pushed for the amendment of Article 80, explained in a phone interview, "Some people have not yet been indicted, and there are more than one or two cases now. Whether to discuss each case individually is a political judgment that the current party leadership must decide," adding, "That is why the Party Affairs Committee resolution left the door open for such situations."

Ultimately, this discussion is linked to the issue of where the party should draw the line regarding the charges against these individuals. Recently, some lawmakers within the party raised concerns at a caucus meeting that the party is excessively defending Leader Lee’s close aides. It is expected that internal debates regarding the response to recent investigations will also take place at the caucus meeting this afternoon.

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