"Expel Lee Junseok" Petition Gains 100,000 Supporters in One Day... Referred to Standing Committee

Consent for the Petition Continues Until July 4
Lee Junseok Apologizes for His Remarks
No Precedent of Expulsion of a National Assembly Member Through Public Consent Petition

A public consent petition calling for the expulsion of Lee Junseok, former presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, from the National Assembly surpassed 100,000 supporters just one day after its posting. On June 5, a petition titled "Petition for the Expulsion of Representative Lee Junseok from the National Assembly" was posted on the Public Consent Petition website on June 3. Support for the petition will be collected until July 4. Previously, the Korean Women's Associations United (KWAU) had called on citizens and organizations to join efforts to expel Lee Junseok from politics and strip him of his parliamentary seat. On June 2, KWAU criticized, "Throughout his political career, Representative Lee Junseok has incited discrimination and hatred against social minorities such as women, people with disabilities, and migrants, using this as his political foundation to reach his current position."

Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, is attending an emergency press conference related to the controversy over the expression of the female body held at the National Assembly on the 29th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The petitioner, identified as Mr. A, stated that the purpose of the petition is to request the expulsion of former candidate Lee from the National Assembly, given that the National Assembly Act allows for disciplinary action if a member violates the National Assembly Code of Ethics or the Code of Conduct for Members of the National Assembly. Specifically, Mr. A asserted, "Lee Junseok of the Reform New Party committed verbal sexual violence by describing violence against women's bodies to attack an opposing candidate during the third debate for the 21st presidential election, held on May 27, in front of all sovereign citizens." Mr. A continued, "It is unprecedented in constitutional history to use a woman's body as a tool for political attack," and pointed out, "His irresponsible attitude in justifying his actions significantly undermines the trust of sovereign citizens and damages the dignity of a member of the National Assembly." Mr. A further explained, "This constitutes a violation of Article 46, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution (which states that members of the National Assembly have a duty to maintain integrity) and Article 155, Paragraph 16 of the National Assembly Act (which provides for disciplinary action in cases of violation of the 'Code of Ethics for Members of the National Assembly' or the 'Code of Conduct for Members of the National Assembly')," and thus called for the expulsion of Representative Lee Junseok from the National Assembly.

As of 3 p.m. on the same day, the petition had gained the support of 13,371 people. If a petition obtains more than 50,000 supporters, it is referred to the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly. However, there has been no case so far where a member of the National Assembly has been expelled through a public consent petition. Public Consent Petition Website

As of 3 p.m. on the same day, the petition had gained the support of 13,371 people. If a petition obtains more than 50,000 supporters, it is referred to the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly. However, there has been no case so far where a member of the National Assembly has been expelled through a public consent petition. In February of this year, two petitions were submitted calling for the expulsion of Speaker Woo Wonshik, who presided over the impeachment vote of former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, who had served as acting president, in December last year. Each of the two petitions calling for the expulsion of Speaker Woo received 51,246 and 59,202 supporters, respectively, and were referred to the standing committee of the National Assembly.

In July last year, a petition calling for the expulsion of Jeong Cheongrae, chairman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, received 70,000 supporters within six days. In addition, petitions calling for the expulsion of Yong Hyein of the Basic Income Party and Kim Minjeon and Kwon Seongdong of the People Power Party were also referred to the standing committee. However, as there has never been an actual expulsion as a result of such petitions, it is unlikely that the current petition will lead to an actual expulsion.