Sang-min Lee Alone Supports Dismissal Proposal... Kwon Eun-hee Becomes a Thorn in Ruling Party's Side

Ruling Party's Kwon Eun-hee in Opposition, Uncomfortable Cohabitation with People Power Party
Kwon "Please Expel Me"... Party Pressures "Resign Voluntarily"
If Resigns, 'Loss of Assembly Seat'; If Expelled, 'Seat Retained'

Kwon Eun-hee, member of the People Power Party. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] It has been reported that Rep. Kwon Eun-hee of the People Power Party was the only member to attend the vote on the motion to dismiss Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min and cast a vote in favor. From the ruling party's perspective, she is like a "thorn in the side." Rep. Kwon has consistently taken positions that contradict the party line, such as supporting the "complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority (Geomsu Wanbak)" law and opposing the establishment of the Prosecutor's Office within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Within the party, there are talks of disciplining Rep. Kwon, along with pressure for her to "leave the party." However, Rep. Kwon is standing firm, saying that if necessary, the party should "expel her."

On the 11th, Rep. Kwon was the only People Power Party member to attend the vote on the motion to dismiss Minister Lee, which was led by the Democratic Party. The vote was conducted by secret ballot, with 183 members present; 182 voted in favor, and 1 vote was invalid, resulting in the motion's passage. According to a report by Seoul Shinmun on the 13th, Rep. Kwon confirmed that she voted in favor. Furthermore, she stated that she would also vote in favor if an impeachment motion against Minister Lee were brought to the plenary session.

Within the party, criticism against Rep. Kwon is spreading. Kim Ki-hyun, a candidate for party leadership, directly targeted Rep. Kwon, saying, "I do not consider her a party member." In an interview with MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus," Kim said, "It is unreasonable that she still holds membership in our party," adding, "(Rep. Kwon) is a proportional representative, right? Proportional representatives hold party membership out of respect for the party's will. If she cannot follow the party's principles or thinks differently, then she should leave the party."

He continued, "If the party expels her, she will still keep her National Assembly badge," and criticized, "Wanting to keep the badge by asking to be expelled is the most unscrupulous and unreasonable thing." As a proportional representative, if Rep. Kwon voluntarily leaves the party, she loses her seat in the National Assembly, but if expelled by the party, she can retain her seat as an independent lawmaker.

Rep. Kwon has voiced opinions that differ from the party line. Notably, she supported the Geomsu Wanbak law strongly pushed by the Democratic Party and opposed the establishment of the Prosecutor's Office within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. In July, when the issue of establishing a Police Bureau arose, she advocated for Minister Lee's impeachment but was referred to the party's Central Ethics Committee and received a "warning" sanction.

Since the last presidential election, Rep. Kwon and the People Power Party have had a practically "uncomfortable coexistence." At that time, she joined the People Power Party through the unification of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party candidate, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party candidate, and the merger of the two parties. However, even then, Rep. Kwon opposed merging with the People Power Party, saying she did not want to return to a "vested interest party," and demanded to be expelled, but her request was not accepted.

Within the party, there are calls to discipline Rep. Kwon for participating in the vote on the motion to dismiss Minister Lee. Some say she should "just leave the party cleanly." However, Rep. Kwon maintains her stance, saying, "The party should just expel me," and is not backing down.

Jang Sung-chul, director of the Public Opinion Center, appeared on YTN Night Focus and said, "She could have expressed her opinion by abstaining from the vote on the motion to dismiss," adding, "Making emotional remarks like 'I will vote in favor even if an impeachment motion is proposed' is a declaration that she is not a People Power Party member. She should leave the party herself, and clinging to the badge is not a fair and honorable act."

On the other hand, political commentator Kim Sang-il, who appeared on the same broadcast, argued, "Suppressing and trampling on one person's actions due to group selfishness is not right," and countered, "(Rep. Kwon) was not elected as a People Power Party proportional representative but joined through a merger, so it is hard to understand why she is criticized and pressured to leave the party without expulsion."

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