Taeyoungho "Apology to Party and Presidential Office"... Voluntary Resignation from Supreme Council Position (Comprehensive)

"Resigning at this point aligns with expectations"
Expected to influence the severity of the Ethics Committee's disciplinary action

Taeyoungho, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, voluntarily resigned on the 10th. This came ahead of the party’s Ethics Committee disciplinary decision regarding Taeyoungho, following a series of controversies, drawing attention to whether it will affect the severity of the disciplinary action.

On the same day at 10 a.m., Taeyoungho held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and stated, “Today marks the first anniversary of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, and I no longer want to be a burden to the party,” adding, “I intend to resign from my position as a Supreme Council member.”

Tae Young-ho, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the morning of the 10th, expressing his intention to voluntarily resign from his position as a Supreme Council member and bowing his head in apology. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Taeyoungho said, “Over the past year, I have done my best, albeit modestly, for the success of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. To play a more active role, I ran in the party convention two months ago and was elected as a Supreme Council member by party members,” adding, “However, due to my shortcomings, I have recently caused several controversies that have greatly harmed the public, party members, the party, and the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.”

Taeyoungho entered the leadership by securing 13.11% of the vote in the March 8 People Power Party convention. During the convention, he made remarks such as “Jeju 4.3 was directed by North Korea’s Kim Il-sung,” posted a Facebook message containing the phrase “Junk (쓰레기) Money (돈) Sex (성) Democratic Party. Indeed JMS Democratic Party” related to the Democratic Party’s cash envelope allegations, and was involved in the “recording leak scandal” that sparked controversy over presidential office nomination interference. Due to these successive controversies, the party’s Ethics Committee initiated disciplinary procedures against him on the 1st.

Taeyoungho said, “All the controversies so far are entirely my responsibility,” and emphasized, “I sincerely apologize for causing harm to the party, the presidential office, and party members due to my controversies. I thank the public and party members who supported and loved me, as well as senior and fellow lawmakers and the leadership who have been with me until now.”

He also stated, “From now on, I will serve quietly and continue to devote myself to the success of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and our People Power Party,” adding, “I will move forward step by step, thinking only of the historic mission given to me.”

Right after the press conference, when meeting with reporters, Taeyoungho explained the background of his resignation, saying, “Since the Ethics Committee meeting, I have spent sleepless nights over the past two days with a lot of 고민. I decided to resign today because I believe that resigning at this point is the right thing to meet the expectations of the party, government, and party members.”

When asked whether he communicated with the party leadership or the Yongsan presidential office before deciding to resign, he replied, “There was no communication,” adding, “I spent a lot of time discussing my position with supporters who backed me and traveled nationwide with me by bus during the last party convention, and this morning I listened to the opinions of lawmakers again before reserving the press conference venue at 9 a.m.”

Regarding leaving the group chat room where Supreme Council members gathered the previous night, he said, “Seeing that some Supreme Council members were very dissatisfied due to my personal misconduct, I thought I should not burden those around me and left the chat room.”

Earlier, the Ethics Committee had planned to decide on the disciplinary severity at its meeting on the 8th but postponed the decision to this day, citing the need for additional explanatory materials and further discussion.

With Taeyoungho’s voluntary resignation, there is speculation that the Ethics Committee’s disciplinary severity will be softened. Ethics Committee Chair Hwang Jeong-geun also told reporters after the Ethics Committee meeting on the 8th, “If such a political solution as voluntary resignation emerges, the disciplinary severity will be as you expect.” This is interpreted to mean that if he shows political responsibility through voluntary resignation, the disciplinary severity could be mitigated.