Lee Jae-myung 'Pro-Approval Faction Disciplinary Action' Resolved... Pro-Lee Faction Says "Disciplinary Action Should Be Temporarily Postponed"

Jeong Cheong-rae "Strict Punishment... Will Discipline at the Ethics Tribunal"
Seo Eun-sook "Not Immediately... Discipline Petition Issue Dormant"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized a message of unity, saying, "I hope there will be no more back-and-forth" regarding the disciplinary issue of the so-called 'arrest consent faction.' Meanwhile, pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jae-myung) Democratic Party Supreme Council members left room for disciplinary action on the 'relevant acts,' although they stated that disciplinary procedures against the consent faction will not proceed immediately.

On the 24th, Jeong Cheong-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, described the disciplinary action against the consent faction on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' as "a matter to be put on hold for a while."

Previously, Jeong emphasized rooting out and disciplining the consent faction, claiming they committed the 'relevant acts,' but as Lee's return approached, he shifted his stance, saying, "The leadership cannot distinguish the consent faction, and even if they could, it is not desirable to take any action against these members." However, he had stressed that disciplinary action on the relevant acts is "a natural and routine party matter."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Jeong explained the disciplinary procedures in three categories. He said, "There are cases where the Supreme Council imposes emergency disciplinary actions without going to the Ethics Tribunal, exercising its authority without a rehearing. We have not exercised this authority."

He continued, "Another is when party members file a formal complaint with the Ethics Tribunal, including the form and procedure, and this is currently happening. And the third is when party members petition the leadership for disciplinary action, as in this case. In such cases, the leadership is required to state its position."

Earlier, on the Democratic Party's National Petition Center bulletin board, disciplinary demands were posted against lawmakers Seol Hoon, Lee Sang-min, Lee Won-wook, Kim Jong-min, and Cho Eung-cheon, classified as the consent faction. The number of signatures has surpassed 50,000, meeting the threshold for a leadership response. Jeong said, "It is a Supreme Council resolution matter," adding, "That is still pending."

Jeong also said, "Those who do well receive rewards, and those who do wrong should be punished. Even excluding the five in the consent faction, the Ethics Tribunal will discipline them. The Supreme Council does not intervene but receives reports."

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd, party leaders including Floor Leader Hong Ik-pyo are applauding to welcome Representative Lee Jae-myung. Photo by Yonhap News

Seo Eun-sook, also a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said, "Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, made a broad political judgment, and the Supreme Council members agreed to respect that, so the petition procedure will not proceed immediately," but emphasized that the disciplinary petition issue remains latent.

On MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Seo explained, "Procedurally, this petition with 50,000 signatures is a request from party members for disciplinary action on the relevant acts, so the Supreme Council must decide whether to forward this to the Ethics Tribunal for review and disciplinary decision. For now, we will not proceed with that process."

She added that there are differences of opinion within the Supreme Council regarding disciplining the consent faction. Seo said, "Many thought it should proceed, but the leader requested otherwise, and within our ranks, we judged that proceeding with this issue is not appropriate at this time. We must consider that the party affairs to be handled remain."

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