People Power Party Ethics Committee Launches Disciplinary Procedures Against Cho Kyoung-tae, Kwon Young-jin and Jin Jong-oh

[Financial News] The People Power Party's Central Ethics Committee said on the 27th that it would begin disciplinary procedures against lawmakers Cho Kyoung-tae, Kwon Young-jin and Jin Jong-oh. The three are classified as non-mainstream figures in the party who have called on party leader Jang Dong-hyuk to step down. Some analysts say Jang is strengthening his control of the party through what they describe as "purge politics."
At 2 p.m. that day, the committee held its 16th meeting and decided to launch disciplinary procedures against the three lawmakers. It did not provide further details on why the procedures were initiated.
Earlier, Cho had been referred to the committee for allegedly asking DPK lawmakers to vote against Park during the selection process for the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. Cho had faced Park in the party's internal primary and had repeatedly argued that lawmakers who opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol were not qualified to serve as vice speaker.
Kwon reportedly grabbed Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik by the collar and shouted in protest on the 23rd, angered by the allocation of standing committees in the National Assembly. Party leadership is said to have agreed at a Supreme Council meeting on the 27th that Kwon should leave the party voluntarily, and that if he does not, he should face severe punishment.
Jin was referred to the committee for supporting independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who was running in the June 3 by-election for the Busan Buk-gu-gap constituency. Although many lawmakers in the pro-Han Dong-hoon faction were referred to the committee, disciplinary procedures appear to have been initiated only against Jin on this day.
The Ethics Committee is said to have effectively split amid recent internal turmoil. The committee, which had a seven-member structure, was reduced to a five-member body after two ethics committee members resigned. Three committee members, led by chair Yoon Min-woo, attended the meeting that day and began the disciplinary process again, while vice chair Woo Jong-hwan and member Hwang Gyeong-seong were absent. In a statement released that day, Woo and Hwang criticized the situation, saying, "The reason for this internal Ethics Committee turmoil was the unilateral 'disciplinary standards for loyalty to the party leader' pushed by Chair Yoon Min-woo, which triggered the crisis after two ethics committee members recently resigned." They added, "A pledge to punish people who systematically and repeatedly criticize the party leader should be made privately with the party leader, not publicly. Doing it publicly is tantamount to killing the party leader."
As Jang's "disciplinary politics" resumes, backlash within the party is expected to grow. Anti-Jang lawmakers believe the move is retaliatory against non-establishment figures and an attempt to expand his own influence after the June 3 local election defeat. In fact, Cho is a non-mainstream figure who has strongly criticized Jang, while Kwon is a key member of the reform-minded lawmakers' group Alternative and Future. Jin is classified as part of the pro-Han Dong-hoon camp. As the possibility of disciplinary action against lawmakers from the pro-Han Dong-hoon camp and Alternative and Future was raised, Alternative and Future issued a statement on the 7th saying, "Politics of subtraction already lost its force through a court ruling before the last local election, and it was thoroughly rejected by the public in the local elections as well." It added, "We oppose fear politics and disciplinary politics that do not recognize differences in political lines."

[email protected] Lee Hae-ram Reporter