[Anchor]

Fierce fallout is following the People Power Party Ethics Committee's decision to impose severe disciplinary actions against four incumbent lawmakers of the non-mainstream faction. As the targeted individuals strongly protest, expressions of concern within the party are also mounting.

Reporter Kim Bo-mi has the details.

[Reporter]

Lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae was referred to the committee for allegedly calling Democratic Party lawmakers in an effort to defeat Park Duk-hyum, who had been chosen as the People Power Party's candidate for National Assembly Vice Speaker through an internal primary.

The People Power Party's Central Ethics Committee imposed a heavy penalty of a two-and-a-half-year suspension of party membership on Cho.

Lawmaker Jin Jong-o, who was referred for supporting independent candidate Han Dong-hoon in the local elections last June and making inappropriate jokes with lawmaker Suh Bum-soo regarding the "Busan roundhouse kick" case, received a two-year suspension of party membership.

Lawmaker Suh Bum-soo received a 10-month suspension of party membership, while lawmaker Kwon Young-jin, who grabbed Floor Leader Chung Jeom-sic by the collar in protest over standing committee assignments, received a one-year-and-six-month suspension of party membership.

Cho Kyung-tae and Jin Jong-o, who received suspensions of two years or more, will be ineligible to receive party nominations in the 2028 general elections if the disciplinary actions are finalized, and Kwon Young-jin, who received a one-and-a-half-year suspension, is also expected to face difficulties in securing a nomination.

Those targeted are strongly protesting.

Lawmaker Kwon Young-jin stated, "The Ethics Committee acted as a loyal hunting dog for the leadership faction led by Jang Dong-hyeok," adding, "I will wear this disciplinary action as a badge of honor and fight harder." Lawmaker Suh Bum-soo said, "I hope this disciplinary action was not predetermined to eliminate political rivals."

Lawmaker Jin Jong-o directly criticized the ethics committee, claiming he committed no acts harmful to the party and demanding they disclose the grounds for the decision.

[Jin Jong-o / People Power Party Lawmaker: If they cannot make it public, it is not an ethics committee, but merely a tool for political purge...]

The situation is also showing signs of escalating into a factional conflict between the leadership and non-mainstream factions, as party leadership stated it is not reviewing disciplinary measures against lawmaker Lee Jin-sook, who was previously referred for hosting a seminar that distorted the May 18 Democratic Movement.

Senior lawmakers have also successively voiced concerns.

Five-term lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun urged Party Leader Jang to reconsider, expressing concern that "this might be the beginning of disciplinary politics aimed at eliminating political rivals," while lawmaker Kim Gi-hyun also criticized the move, stating, "Trying to establish discipline through the sword will inevitably result in a castle built on sand."

(Video reporting: Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Lee Seung-jin)