[Anchor]
The People Power Party has announced the results of its Ethics Committee's disciplinary decisions regarding four incumbent lawmakers belonging to the non-leadership faction. Rep. Joo Kyung-tae received the heaviest penalty of a two-and-a-half-year suspension of party membership.
Here is the report from reporter Jeong Yunsik.
[Reporter]
The People Power Party's Central Ethics Committee announced the results of its disciplinary review for non-leadership faction lawmakers Joo Kyung-tae, Seo Beom-su, Kwon Young-jin, and Jin Jong-oh.
A heavy disciplinary measure of a two-and-a-half-year suspension of party membership was decided for Rep. Joo Kyung-tae.
Rep. Joo was referred to the Ethics Committee on the grounds that, following Rep. Park Duk-hyum's selection as the National Assembly Vice Speaker allotted to the People Power Party through an internal party primary last May, he called Democratic Party lawmakers and asked them to vote down Rep. Park's bid for the vice speakership.
For Rep. Jin Jong-oh, the Ethics Committee voted to suspend his party membership for two years.
Rep. Jin was referred over allegations of supporting independent candidate Han Dong-hun during the local elections last June, and was additionally referred after responding to Rep. Seo Beom-su—who had remarked "Try roundhouse kicking once" at a National Assembly seminar attended by a victim of the Busan roundhouse kick assault case—by saying, "I use my hands better than my feet."
In the case of Rep. Seo Beom-su, the penalty is a 10-month suspension of party membership.
Regarding Rep. Kwon Young-jin, who grabbed Floor Leader Jung Jeom-sic by the collar in protest over standing committee assignments, the Ethics Committee decided on a one-and-a-half-year suspension of party membership.
Reps. Joo Kyung-tae and Jin Jong-oh, who received disciplinary decisions of a two-year or longer suspension of party membership, will not have their party membership restored until 2028 once the disciplinary action is finalized, making them ineligible to receive nominations in the next general election.
This decision to discipline the four incumbent non-leadership faction lawmakers is expected to become a watershed moment in the factional strife within the People Power Party.
In particular, the party leadership stated that it is not reviewing disciplinary action against Rep. Lee Jin-sook, who was referred to the Ethics Committee for hosting a seminar distorting the May 18 Democratization Movement. Consequently, backlash has emerged claiming that this disciplinary action is "selective" as it exclusively targets non-leadership faction lawmakers who have criticized leader Jang Dong-hyuk.
(Video Journalist: Lee Seung-hwan, Video Editing: So Ji-hye)
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