Seo Beom-su Files for Injunction Against Party Membership Suspension, Calling It a “Purge of Political Opponents”

[Financial News] People Power Party lawmaker Seo Beom-su, who faced disciplinary action within the party after becoming embroiled in controversy over an inappropriate remark related to the “Busan roundhouse-kick incident,” has filed an injunction with the court seeking to halt enforcement of the disciplinary measure.
Seo visited the Seoul Southern District Court on the morning of the 16th and submitted an application for an injunction to suspend the effect of the disciplinary action.
Earlier, on the 4th of last month, Seo sparked controversy at a National Assembly meeting hosted by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon on abolishing the prosecution’s supplementary investigative powers. Just before the victim of the Busan roundhouse-kick incident entered, Seo told People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh, “How about a roundhouse-kick match?” Jin, a former shooting athlete, replied, “I’m better with my hands than my feet.”
On the 20th of the same month, the Central Ethics Committee of the People Power Party ruled that Seo had “made inappropriate remarks that could be seen as making light of the victim’s suffering, damaging the party’s reputation and acting contrary to public sentiment,” and imposed a 10-month suspension of his party membership rights.
Jin, who replied, “I’m better with my hands than my feet,” at the meeting, was given a two-year suspension of his party membership rights. Jin also filed an injunction with the court on the 6th seeking to suspend the effect of the disciplinary action.
Meeting reporters at the court that day, Seo said, “I once again apologize to the victim and the public.” He added, “However, the disciplinary action has many procedural and substantive defects. Because it is causing irreparable harm, including the suspension of my duties as chairman of the party association and chairman of the Ulsan City Party Committee, I decided to file for an injunction.”
Seo protested, calling it “selective disciplinary action to remove opponents,” and said, “I cannot help but wonder whether this is an attempt to purge political opponents of the party leadership.” He explained, “There were remarks and actions criticized by public opinion around the same time, but some people were quickly subjected to disciplinary proceedings and severe punishment, while in other cases disciplinary action was not even initiated.”
Seo also criticized the Ethics Committee’s decision not to reach a conclusion at its meeting on the 14th and instead discuss his case again on the 30th, despite his having requested a retrial on the 2nd. He said, “The committee reached a conclusion just two days after hearing my explanation when it imposed the disciplinary action, so isn’t it dragging this out for too long?” He added, “This neutralizes the legally prescribed relief procedure.”
Seo further claimed that “the names of the Ethics Committee members were kept confidential,” creating “a procedural defect that deprived me of the right to seek their recusal.” Regarding the fact that he received the list only after requesting a retrial, he added, “Doesn’t that amount to an admission by the committee itself that there was a procedural defect?” Seo withdrew the retrial request he had submitted to the Ethics Committee that morning.
Meanwhile, there have been previous cases in which courts suspended the effect of disciplinary measures imposed by the People Power Party. On March 5, the Seoul Southern District Court’s Civil Division 51, presided over by Chief Judge Kwon Sung-soo, granted People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin’s application for an injunction suspending the effect of disciplinary action. Bae had been given a one-year suspension of her party membership rights for allegedly violating human rights by posting a photo of an internet user’s granddaughter on social media during an online dispute with the user.
The court ruled that there was a serious defect involving an abuse and overstepping of discretion, as the party imposed a disproportionate punishment without conducting a thorough review of the grounds for discipline. It also held that it was difficult to view Bae as having disclosed the photo without consent because it had already been set as the internet user’s profile picture.
The same court also granted former People Power Party Supreme Council member Kim Jong-hyuk’s application for an injunction on March 20. Kim was expelled after refusing to comply with a recommendation to leave the party, which he received for allegedly making insulting remarks and statements about the party leadership and members in media interviews and elsewhere. The court found that “the applicant merely criticized the policies of the party leader and leadership within the scope permitted by party democracy and freedom of expression,” and determined that the disciplinary process contained serious defects and that the level of punishment was excessive.
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