Former chair of the main opposition People Power Party Han Dong-hoon has been formally expelled from the party, as internal strife intensifies.
In the party’s supreme council meeting, the first since current chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok resumed duties, the motion to expel Han was approved 16 days after the ethics committee’s conclusion that he should be removed.
The party’s ethics committee had concluded that Han should be expelled over allegations that his family attempted to influence opinion by uploading derogatory posts on a bulletin board hosted on the People Power Party’s website. The posts targeted former President Yoon Suk Yeol — who was removed from office over his short-lived martial law — and his wife, Kim Keon Hee,
Under the party’s four-tier disciplinary system, which ranges from a warning to expulsion, the ethics committee decided to expel Han and revoke his party membership.
The committee said Han had publicly acknowledged that he only later became aware of his family’s involvement in posting the remarks.
The party was initially set to make the final decision on Jan. 15, but Jang postponed the vote for 10 days due to concerns being raised from within the party. The vote was again delayed due to Jang’s hunger strike, which led to his hospitalization.
With the expulsion now finalized, Han is barred from rejoining the party for five years without approval from the supreme council.
Han responded to the decision only with a short statement.
“Today I was expelled. (The party) can expel me, but cannot break the desire for better politics for the people,” Han said.
“Fellow party members, citizens, we are the owners of this party, and conservatives. Do not give up. Please wait. Without fail, I am coming back.”
Han’s expulsion is further fanning friction among the factions, with pro-Han lawmakers now demanding that Jang step down.
“The Jang Dong-hyeok leadership that pushed the party in an anti-constitutional, anti-democratic direction for personal gain must immediately step down,” the lawmakers said, saying that the decision will cause serious damage the party.
The lawmakers said it is essential that Jang and the leadership resign ahead of the June local elections, adding that the decision cannot be explained logically.
Han’s removal also appears likely to fan the rupture in the wider conservative bloc.
Minor conservative opposition Reform Party Chair Rep. Lee Jun-seok on Thursday said that he would advise Han to run for Seoul mayor as an independent, and that such a move would give him more political leverage.
Lee Jun-seok is a former chair of the main conservative party who formed his own party after he was ousted. While the Reform Party and the People Power Party have agreed to cooperate on issues such as launching special counsel investigations, Lee has drawn the line at forming an alliance for the local election.
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com
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