Seo Beomsoo Files for Injunction Against Party Membership Suspension: "Disciplinary Action Must Not Be Used to Remove Political Opponents"

On September 16, Beomsoo Seo, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, filed an injunction with the court to suspend the effectiveness of the party's disciplinary action suspending his party membership for 10 months over his gaffe. Seo stated, "The party should no longer treat dissenting voices as targets for political purges."

At a press conference held at the National Assembly's Communication Center on the afternoon of September 16, Seo said, "Filing for an injunction is not an attempt to evade responsibility. Rather, it is about upholding principles: that disciplinary measures must be pursued through fair procedures and reasonable standards, and that such measures must not be misused as a tool to remove political opponents."

Yonhap News Agency

Seo was placed under disciplinary review for making an inappropriate joke related to the 'Busan Kick Attack Case' during a meeting with victims opposing the abolition of the prosecutor's supplementary investigative rights on August 4. The party's ethics committee imposed a 10-month suspension of his party membership, and although Seo filed for a retrial, the decision was postponed to a meeting scheduled for the 30th of this month. In response, Seo not only filed for an injunction to suspend the effectiveness of the discipline but also initiated a main suit seeking to nullify the disciplinary action itself.

Seo first addressed his gaffe, saying, "It was an extremely imprudent and wholly inappropriate remark that should never have been made. I offer my sincerest apologies once again to the victim and their family. Knowing that my careless words and actions may have inflicted further wounds on the victim, my heart remains heavy."

However, regarding the disciplinary action, Seo stated, "While the conclusion was reached just two days after my explanation during the initial disciplinary process, the retrial process is being deliberately delayed to the very deadline, effectively rendering the remedy process meaningless. This goes against the wishes of the victim, who had asked for leniency. Such actions only serve to further distress the victim."

Seo also raised issues regarding the fairness of the party ethics committee's disciplinary procedure. He said, "Since the identities of the disciplinary committee members participating in the deliberations are not disclosed, I was not even able to exercise my right to request exclusions. Meanwhile, in other cases within the party at the same time, which attracted significantly more public reproach, disciplinary proceedings have not even started."

Additionally, Seo stated, "Compared to similar cases in the past where the parties were not even offered apologies and harsher punishment was demanded, this disciplinary action is disproportionately heavy. As a result of this penalty, I have been suspended from my duties as head of the Ulsan City Party Chapter and even face losing my post as head of the Ulsan Ulju Party Member Committee, a post I have held for nearly seven years."

Seo concluded by saying, "This disciplinary action is not intended to seek appropriate accountability for my gaffe but rather serves to filter out those who voice opinions different from the party leadership. The party must no longer treat dissenting voices as targets for purges."

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