People Power Party Ethics Committee Vice Chairman Says "Yoon Makes Committee Seem Like Party Leader's Shield... Members Can't Show Their Faces"

Vice Chair of Ethics Committee Announces Intention to Resign on August 7

"Chairman Yoon Minwoo at the Center of Fairness Dispute"

Representatives Cho Kyungtae, Kwon Youngjin, and Jin Jongoh: "Disciplinary Actions Justified"

Woo Jonghwan, Vice Chair of the Central Ethics Committee of the People Power Party, who announced his intention to resign, said on August 7, "Anyone can see that the actions of Chairman Yoon Minwoo, such as his unilateral decisions on guidelines, could make the Central Ethics Committee appear to be a protection apparatus for the party leader." He added, "Because of this, the ethics committee members cannot even show their faces."

On this day, Vice Chair Woo made these comments while appearing on JTBC's YouTube channel, "Genre Only Yeouido." Earlier that morning, Vice Chair Woo and Hwang Kyungseong, a member of the Central Ethics Committee, each announced their intent to step down, urging Chairman Yoon to resign together with them. Vice Chair Woo has recently been at odds with Chairman Yoon, criticizing his methods of operating the Central Ethics Committee and raising concerns over its fairness, and has demanded his resignation.

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the plenary meeting of the Special Committee for Real Estate Policy Normalization held at the National Assembly on August 7, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Vice Chair Woo explained the reason for urging Chairman Yoon to resign, saying, "I stated and announced that the only answer for restoring trust in the Central Ethics Committee is for him to step down." He continued, "I heard from someone I know that in the past, Chairman Yoon closely collaborated and communicated when drafting decisions. If he is now caught in his own contradictions, how can anyone believe his claim that he has nothing to do with Representative Jang Donghyuk?"

Vice Chair Woo said he directly expressed his intention to resign to Chairman Yoon during a committee meeting that day, but "he didn't seem willing to listen," explaining the situation at the time. He added, "Everyone else is working hard, but if the chairman proceeds, there will be misunderstandings. I asked him to resign together with me, but he wouldn't listen." He further explained, "And then Chairman Yoon just continued with the meeting."

Although Vice Chair Woo expressed his intention to resign that day, he left open the possibility of returning if he is re-appointed. He commented, "Submitting our resignations is one way to urge Chairman Yoon to step down." He continued, "We ethics committee members make reasonable decisions and judgments, but Chairman Yoon is already at the center of fairness disputes. If he makes an announcement, who would believe it? All our hard work would be in vain," he lamented.

Regarding the recent resignation of two Central Ethics Committee members, he said, "Their real names were made public this time." He explained, "Attorney A said he was resigning because the disclosure of his name made him uncomfortable, and Member B seemed to resign not specifically because of the real name disclosure, but because of the confrontation between myself and the chairman, which wasn’t the case before." The People Power Party earlier explained that both resignations were due to the "burden of real name disclosure."

Regarding Representatives Cho Kyungtae, Kwon Youngjin, and Jin Jongoh, for whom disciplinary procedures were recently initiated, Vice Chair Woo evaluated, "Based on what I saw at the Ethics Committee, if the reasons listed for their discipline are true, then discipline is justified." He added, "I believe the internal meetings were conducted fairly. Everyone claims to be unfairly treated, but from what I saw today, none of them seem to have a real grievance. There are sufficient reasons for the disciplinary procedures."

In response to Representative Cho's argument that the expulsion of independent lawmaker Han Donghoon should be withdrawn, Woo drew a clear line, saying, "That is out of my hands now." Vice Chair Woo went on, "I don't know if those who said that are confident in their own conduct," criticizing Representative Cho for overstepping his authority. He also reiterated, "If I were to remain an ethics committee member, all three—Representatives Cho, Kwon, and Jin—would receive (heavy) disciplinary action," and commented that both Seo Beomsoo, whose disciplinary procedures were started today, and Representative Jin "have many issues as well."

A disciplinary petition against Representative Jang was also submitted to the Central Ethics Committee, but it appears the committee did not address this agenda item. Vice Chair Woo clarified, "I did not see (that agenda item)," and explained that decisions regarding related matters may not have gone through the vice chair. He also mentioned that disciplinary agenda items are determined by the chair, saying, "As far as I know, the chair makes decisions in advance."

Vice Chair Woo addressed Chairman Yoon directly, saying, "The current chair is very different from before and feels unfamiliar, but I still trust in your conscience." He added, "I resigned first so that the chair wouldn't feel alone, and I hope you will follow honorably."

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