Bae Hyunjin's Disciplinary Suspension Accepted... Calls for Ethics Chair Resignation and Apology from Jang

Internal Strife Continues...
Party Leadership Decides Not to File Objection

The court’s acceptance of a request to suspend the effect of the 'one-year party membership suspension' disciplinary action, imposed by the People Power Party’s Central Ethics Committee at the request of Assemblywoman Bae Hyunjin, has reignited internal conflict within the party. Lawmakers affiliated with the pro-Han faction, reform-minded members, and former and current heads of local party chapters outside the National Assembly have called for the resignation of Ethics Committee Chair Yoon Minwoo and an apology from Party Leader Jang Donghyuk.

On March 6, seven incumbent lawmakers of the People Power Party and 26 former and current local party chapter heads released a statement, saying, "For victory in the upcoming local elections, we urgently demand the resignation of Ethics Committee Chair Yoon." They added, "We also call for an apology from Party Leader Jang and responsible follow-up measures." The seven incumbent lawmakers who participated in the statement were Ko Dongjin, Kim Yeji, Kim Jaeseop, Park Junghoon, Cho Eunhee, Jin Jongoh, and Han Jia.

Yonhap News Agency

Previously, Assemblywoman Bae was given a severe disciplinary action—a one-year suspension of party membership—by the Ethics Committee for allegedly posting photos of minors on social media without consent. The court accepted Bae’s request for an injunction, allowing her to return to her post as head of the Seoul City Party Chapter.

They stated, "We greatly welcome the court’s decision to suspend the effect of the Ethics Committee’s disciplinary action against Seoul City Party Chapter Chair Bae Hyunjin," adding, "The court pointed out that the Ethics Committee failed to investigate even the basic facts, resulting in procedural flaws, and emphasized that the party’s claim of defamation was unclear in terms of who was harmed. The decision was based on the judgment that the disciplinary action was problematic both in procedure and substance."

They went on to say, "It is deeply disappointing to our party members and the public that the Ethics Committee, which should be upholding discipline within the party, is being used by the leadership as a tool to eliminate political opponents according to their own preferences. Because Chair Yoon is only concerned with the wishes of the party leader, the Ethics Committee is being misused as an instrument of factionalism, further alienating our party from public sentiment ahead of the local elections."

Meanwhile, Party Leader Jang has not issued an official statement regarding the court’s decision. However, the party leadership has stated that it will not be filing a separate objection. Chief Spokesperson Park Sunghoon told reporters on this day, "At present, the party is not considering any additional legal action. Above all, winning the local elections is the most important task."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.