The national election watchdog said Monday it has revoked the seats of six councilors of the now-disbanded Unified Progressive Party (UPP), a follow-up measure to the party's dissolution last week.

On Friday, the Constitutional Court outlawed the UPP, a minor left-leaning opposition party, for disrupting the country's basic democratic order through its pursuit of North Korean socialism. The court also revoked the UPP's five seats in the National Assembly.

By-elections will be held in April to elect successors to the three directly elected UPP lawmakers, but the two who were elected on proportional representation tickets will not be replaced until the next general elections slated for 2016.

On Monday, the National Election Commission held a general meeting to decide on the fate of six councilors who represented the UPP through the proportional representation system.

The commission said it reclassified the six councilors as having "resigned."

The six served in the provincial assemblies of North Jeolla and South Jeolla, the metropolitan council of Gwangju, the municipal assemblies of Suncheon and Yeosu, and the township council of Haenam.

The UPP's 31 directly elected councilors, however, appear likely to retain their seats as independents as there are no laws on how they should be handled. (Yonhap)