PPP Supreme Council Concludes 'Collar-Grabbing Incident' by Rep. Kwon Young-jin Warrants Highest-Level Discipline, Including Voluntary Departure

The Supreme Council of the People Power Party (PPP) agreed today (the 27th) that Rep. Kwon Young-jin, who grabbed Floor Leader Jung Jeom-sik by the collar while protesting criteria for assigning second-half National Assembly standing committees, faces calls for the highest level of disciplinary action, including expulsion.

Senior Spokesperson Park Sung-hoon met with reporters after the Supreme Council meeting that day and stated, "Discussions during the closed-door meeting focused mainly on disciplining Rep. Kwon for his misconduct. The party leadership reached a consensus without dissent that this issue is grave and warrants stern punishment."

He added, "Specifically, the predominant opinions were to advise Rep. Kwon to voluntarily leave the party, or, if this is not accepted, to promptly convene the Ethics Committee to take the highest possible level of disciplinary action, including expulsion. There were also remarks emphasizing the need for a public apology."

However, Senior Spokesperson Park noted that the party decided not to immediately request the Ethics Committee to initiate disciplinary procedures today, in order to secure procedural integrity such as hearing explanations from the person involved prior to a decision.

A disciplinary request against Rep. Kwon has already been submitted to the Central Ethics Committee by 41 out-of-parliament PPP district party chapter chairs and external organizations.

He explained, "Rep. Kwon grabbing the floor leader by the collar and using indescribable verbal abuse is a wrongful act that cannot be justified under any circumstances, and a highly inappropriate deed that undermines the dignity of conservatism and party leadership. The prevailing view was that heavy discipline is necessary, as sweeping it under the rug or issuing a light penalty could give the impression that second or third such incidents might occur."

He further emphasized, "This issue will serve as a crucial touchstone for straightening our party discipline and operating the party moving forward."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.