People Power Party Ethics Committee Turmoil Deepens... Calls for Ethics Chair Yoon's Resignation

Suspicion of Leaked Disciplinary Materials

Internal Feud Stalls Party Approval Ratings

The internal conflict within the People Power Party’s Central Ethics Committee, which is leading the so-called 'disciplinary civil war,' is intensifying. Ethics Committee Chair Minwoo Yoon is facing calls to resign from some committee members over suspicions that disciplinary materials have been leaked externally. Observers also point out that, due to deepening internal strife, the ruling party has failed to enjoy any political advantage despite a string of setbacks facing the opposition.

On August 3, Woo Jonghwan, Vice Chair of the People Power Party Ethics Committee, and Ethics Committee member Hwang Kyung-sun issued a joint statement, saying, “We have received reports and indications that Chair Yoon recently pre-shared the list of disciplinary cases, details, and findings with outsiders and consulted with them in advance. We ask that he make the decision to step down voluntarily before being put on the disciplinary agenda.”

This is a countermeasure in response to Chair Yoon’s previous warning that he would request the dismissal of any ethics committee member who leaks discussions to the outside. They added, “If these allegations are true, Chair Yoon himself has violated his duty of confidentiality,” and warned, “If the ethics committee loses its independence, disciplinary measures will only exacerbate the party’s internal strife.”

The party leadership and the ethics committee continue to take strong action. Recently, party leader Jang Donghyuk appointed two additional ethics committee members. During this process, some top party officials objected or abstained, revealing disagreements within the leadership over the appointment process and the perceived bias of the committee. As direct clashes within the ethics committee increasingly come to the surface, debate is expected to intensify over the procedural and political legitimacy of future disciplinary decisions.

Additionally, public opinion trends are not favorable for the People Power Party. In recent party approval rating surveys, the gap with the ruling party appears to be widening again. However, some analysts suggest this is due to the recent impact of the ruling party's national convention.

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