"Disciplinary War" in People Power Party... Jang Visits Stronghold and Hostile Region

“Withdrawal Recommendation” for Ko Sung-kook
Will Disciplinary Action Against Bae Hyunjin Also Be Pushed Through?

The pro-leadership faction and the pro-Han Donghoon faction within the People Power Party are waging a disciplinary war over Assemblywoman Bae Hyunjin and conservative YouTuber Ko Sung-kook, respectively. Within the party, there are growing concerns that the Ethics Committee is being abused as a tool to eliminate political rivals.

Yonhap News

The Seoul chapter Ethics Committee of the People Power Party decided late on the night of the 10th to impose a disciplinary measure recommending Ko’s withdrawal from the party. Earlier, on January 30, ten pro-Han lawmakers had submitted a disciplinary request, arguing that Ko should be punished because he said on his show that “portraits of Chun Doo-hwan and Yoon Suk Yeol should be hung at the party headquarters,” among other remarks. Before the disciplinary process began, the Seoul chapter appointed former lawmaker Kim Kyungjin, who is classified as pro-Han, as chair of the Ethics Committee. The head of the Seoul chapter is also pro-Han Assemblywoman Bae.

The recommendation to withdraw from the party issued by the chapter Ethics Committee is a heavy disciplinary measure under which a member is automatically expelled if he or she does not submit a withdrawal report within ten days. Ko said in the morning, “I will immediately file an appeal.” According to the People Power Party’s party rules, the review and decision on appeals against disciplinary resolutions by city and provincial chapter Ethics Committees fall under the jurisdiction of the Central Ethics Committee. The current leadership appointed the members of the Central Ethics Committee.

Conversely, the pro-leadership camp is pushing ahead with efforts to discipline Assemblywoman Bae. Earlier, Lee Sangkyu, head of the party chapter for Seongbuk-gu B district in Seoul, filed a complaint with the Central Ethics Committee, arguing that Bae, as head of the Seoul chapter, had taken the lead in issuing a statement opposing disciplinary action against former party leader Han Donghoon and had distorted it to appear as if it represented the will of the entire Seoul chapter.

Party leader Jang Donghyuk said the previous day, “(In the case of disciplinary action against Assemblywoman Bae) it is an issue that the Ethics Committee must decide in accordance with the party constitution and rules.” A Supreme Council member classified as pro-leadership also said in a phone call that day, “Ko merely expressed his own opinion, but Assemblywoman Bae used nomination authority as a weapon to pressure prospective candidates for the local elections.”

Meanwhile, on the 11th Jang embarked on an east-west tour, visiting Daegu, his political stronghold, and Honam, considered hostile territory. This move is aimed at both consolidating his support base and expanding his reach ahead of the June 3 local elections. He will visit Seomun Market, widely regarded as a barometer of public sentiment in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. Earlier, Jang had said, “Daegu is the holy land of industrialization where the great narrative of South Korea’s economic development began.”

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