[Lee Jun-seok Disciplinary Action] Considering the Launch of the Next Leadership... Attention Focused on the 6-Month Party Membership Suspension

Disciplinary Severity Higher Than Expected... Suspension Lifted in January Next Year
If Remaining Term Is Less Than 6 Months, New Leadership's Term Set at 2 Years
Consideration of Nomination Rights for the General Election in the Year After Next

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 8th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, received a harsher-than-expected disciplinary action of '6 months suspension of party membership rights' from the party's Central Ethics Committee, drawing attention to the background of the decision. The dominant interpretation is that the Ethics Committee has effectively acknowledged the allegations against Lee, including instructing the destruction of evidence related to sexual bribery. However, there is also an analysis that the decision to set the suspension period at '6 months' was a political move considering the next leadership's exercise of candidate nomination rights for the upcoming general election.

On the 8th, Lee Yang-hee, chairperson of the party's Ethics Committee, explained the reason for the disciplinary decision, stating, "Lee Jun-seok, as the leader of the People Power Party and as a party member, must observe etiquette and behave appropriately according to Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Ethics Rules, and must not engage in conduct that damages the party's honor or is out of touch with public sentiment." She added, "We did not make a judgment on the sexual bribery allegations, which are not subject to disciplinary review." She believed that the allegations of instructing evidence destruction alone were sufficient grounds for a severe disciplinary action.

The incident began when, on December 27 last year, during heightened conflict between Lee and Yoon Seok-youl, then the People Power Party's presidential candidate (now President), the conservative YouTube channel 'Garosero Research Institute (Gaseyeon)' raised allegations that Lee received sexual entertainment at a hotel in Daejeon from Kim Sung-jin, CEO of iKist, in 2013.

Gaseyeon filed a police complaint against Lee and also submitted a petition to the party's Ethics Committee. On December 30 of the same year, the Ethics Committee announced it would not proceed with disciplinary action regarding the sexual misconduct case, and the issue subsided. However, in March this year, Gaseyeon reignited the controversy by claiming that Kim Cheol-geun, the party leader's political affairs office chief, attempted to destroy evidence related to sexual bribery. It was revealed that Kim allegedly wrote a memorandum promising a 700 million KRW investment at a dermatology clinic to the whistleblower of the sexual entertainment allegations in exchange for a statement confirming that no sexual bribery occurred.

The Central Ethics Committee resumed disciplinary procedures and ultimately held Lee responsible for violating the duty to maintain dignity due to the suspicion of instructing evidence destruction related to sexual bribery. However, Lee maintains that he was unaware of the memorandum promising the 700 million KRW investment. Despite this, the Central Ethics Committee found this claim "hard to believe" and made the disciplinary decision.

Within and outside political circles, there is analysis suggesting that the suspension period of party membership rights and the nomination rights for the general election are interconnected, indicating a high level of political consideration. Considering Lee's original term, the next leadership is expected to take office in June next year, but if a vacancy occurs in the leadership, an early party convention could be held to form a new leadership. Attention is focused on the fact that the remaining term of the current leader is around 6 months, which affects the term of the next leadership.

According to the People Power Party's constitution and regulations, if the party leader resigns with more than 6 months remaining in the term, the new leadership can only serve the remainder of Lee's term. If the remaining term is less than 6 months, a formal leadership with a 2-year term can be established. Therefore, with the Ethics Committee's decision to suspend party membership rights for 6 months, Lee's leadership duties are suspended until January next year. A caretaker system led by floor leader Kwon Seong-dong will be maintained, and thereafter, a 2-year term leadership capable of exercising candidate nomination rights for the next general election can be formed.

However, the possibility that Lee may return and endure after regaining party membership rights cannot be ruled out. In the past, Kim Soon-rye, a Supreme Council member during the Liberty Korea Party era, the predecessor of the People Power Party, was suspended from party membership for 3 months due to controversial remarks about the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement but later returned as a Supreme Council member. Floor leader Kwon has also left open the possibility of Lee's return while mentioning a transition to a 'caretaker' system. Nonetheless, whether Lee, whose leadership has already been damaged, can make a comeback remains another issue.