Ruling Party Draws Sword for 'Jeon Gwang-hoon Cut-off'... Can They Weed Out Party Members?

The People Power Party chose a 'dual party membership warning' as the first step to sever ties with Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church. The party leadership has been criticized for taking a lukewarm stance despite controversies surrounding Pastor Jeon. However, with the general election just a year away, it appears they have drawn the line due to a sense of crisis, unable to stand by while Pastor Jeon demands even the abolition of nomination rights.

On the afternoon of the 18th, Chief Spokesperson Yoo Sang-beom held a briefing at the National Assembly Communication Office and announced that warning text messages would be sent to those suspected of holding dual party memberships.

Spokesperson Yoo stated, "Recently, Pastor Jeon has been continuously engaging in inappropriate behavior, such as inciting his supporters to join our party with the intention of influencing our party's nominations. In accordance with the party constitution and regulations, we plan to send dual party membership prohibition notification texts to members who joined the party with Pastor Jeon as their recommender."

The text message, scheduled to be sent on the same day, will include content stating, "Under the current Political Parties Act, holding dual party memberships is prohibited, and violations of this law may result in penalties. Please verify whether you hold membership in another party and take care to avoid any illegal activities." Article 42, Paragraph 2 of the Political Parties Act prohibits dual party memberships.

However, questions remain as to whether sending warning texts alone can express the party leadership's intention to sever ties with Pastor Jeon. Compared to calls for disciplinary actions or expulsion, the measure is considered mild. The purpose is to inform that criminal penalties apply and thereby induce resignations, but critics argue that this alone lacks effectiveness.

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church.

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Spokesperson Yoo explained that forced expulsion would violate the party constitution and regulations, and that requesting investigations without clear evidence could lead to legal controversies.

He also mentioned that if Pastor Jeon was not listed as the recommender, it is impossible to verify dual party membership. Without clear evidence of dual membership, it is impossible for the party, rather than investigative agencies, to check the membership lists of other parties, especially the Liberty Unification Party led by Pastor Jeon. The likelihood of Pastor Jeon cooperating, while encouraging his followers to join the People Power Party, is also low.

The People Power Party views Pastor Jeon's influence as exaggerated. They state that the total number of members who listed Pastor Jeon as their recommender, including general and responsible members, is 981. Spokesperson Yoo said, "The number verifiable through objective data is 981, and while there may be others unconfirmed, we strongly doubt it could be in the hundreds of thousands."

This analysis contradicts some claims within the People Power Party that the number of members influenced by Pastor Jeon ranges from at least 10,000 to as many as 300,000.

The People Power Party also announced plans to strengthen eligibility screening for new members at the city and provincial party levels.

In addition, disciplinary action against Supreme Council Member Kim Jae-won is expected. Analysts suggest that disciplining Kim is inevitable to clearly distance the party from Pastor Jeon. Kim has been criticized for remarks such as opposing the inclusion of the May 18 Democratic Uprising spirit in the preamble of the constitution and statements about Pastor Jeon's "right-wing unification of the world."

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