People Power Party Ethics Committee Begins Deliberation on Yoon's Expulsion and Party Removal... "Will Proceed Carefully"

Pro-Chin Yoon Lawmakers Protest "Opinions Must Be Gathered"
Kang Myung-gu "Expulsion of Incumbent President Violates Party Rules"

On the 12th, the People Power Party's Central Ethics Committee began deliberations on the expulsion and removal of President Yoon Seok-yeol, who triggered the state of emergency, following a convening request by Han Dong-hoon, the party leader.

The People Power Party Ethics Committee announced through a press release in the afternoon, "We held the 3rd Central Ethics Committee meeting at 10 p.m. today." It added, "We have started deliberations on initiating disciplinary procedures against the president, and considering the gravity of the matter, we decided to proceed cautiously regarding both substance and procedure."

According to the People Power Party's constitution and regulations, 'expulsion' of a party member is finalized after the Ethics Committee's resolution and approval by the Supreme Council. In the case of 'recommendation to withdraw from the party,' if the person who received the disciplinary decision does not submit a withdrawal report within 10 days of notification, expulsion can be enforced without the Ethics Committee's resolution.

On the same day, immediately after President Yoon's public address, Leader Han convened the Ethics Committee to discuss the president's expulsion and removal from the party. The Ethics Committee initially planned to hold the meeting at the central party office in Yeouido in the afternoon, but moved the location to an undisclosed place in Yeouido due to the influx of reporters and citizens.

Earlier, right after President Yoon's public address regarding the state of emergency was announced, Leader Han convened the Ethics Committee for the president's expulsion and removal. Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly, Han said about the president's address, "We did not expect such a statement at all," and explained the reason for convening the Ethics Committee: "President Yoon can no longer perform his duties. That has become even clearer."

In his public address, President Yoon stated, "The state of emergency is a highly political judgment by the president," and questioned, "How can the president's constitutional decision and act of governance be considered treason?" He added, "Whether impeached or investigated, I will face it boldly."

When Leader Han, during the morning meeting of lawmakers to elect the floor leader, demanded a party consensus in favor of impeachment against President Yoon and announced plans to convene the Ethics Committee for expulsion and removal, pro-Yoon factions opposed the move.

Lawmaker Lee Cheol-gyu said, "As far as I know, none of our party members supported or participated in the state of emergency. No one knew about it in advance," and added, "What most lawmakers think is that we should overcome our chaotic state and orderly gather consensus to handle this so that the public does not feel anxious."

Lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun posted on social media (SNS) under the title "Ethics Committee in the middle of the night?" stating, "How can we expel or remove the president we elected ourselves? What authority does Leader Han have to push for the president's removal and expulsion?" He criticized, "If the party Leader Han refers to is not himself alone, he should now gather opinions from the lawmakers' meeting, the party's Supreme Council, and party members."

Lawmaker Kang Seung-gyu, former Senior Secretary for Civil Society at the Presidential Office, also criticized on SNS, "Leader Han is attempting a 'surprise expulsion' of the president through the Ethics Committee without an impeachment vote or deliberation at the lawmakers' meeting," and said, "Leader Han is seriously mistaken about the 'authority of the party leader'."

Lawmaker Kang Myung-gu, former Secretary for National Policy Planning at the Presidential Office, pointed out, "Expelling a sitting president from the ruling party is unprecedented in constitutional history. It is not something to be pursued by the party leader's impulsive decision alone," and added, "As the ruling party, expelling the sitting president itself is a direct violation of the party constitution."