'Petition for Lee Junseok's Expulsion' to Be Reviewed by National Assembly... "Describing Violence Against Female Body"

140,000 Signatures in Two Days... Petition Meets Requirement for Review
Chun Haram: "TV Debate Controversy Ultimately Was Not Helpful"

A petition calling for the expulsion of Lee Junseok, a member of the Reform New Party, who cited violent expressions related to the female body during a presidential candidate TV debate, has been submitted for review by the National Assembly.

According to the National Assembly Public Petition website on June 6, the "Petition for the Expulsion of Representative Lee Junseok" received the consent of approximately 144,000 people within two days after being made public on June 4. Having surpassed the requirement of 50,000 signatures, the petition will now enter the National Assembly's review process. However, it has not yet been determined which standing committee will review the petition.

Lee Junseok, Reform New Party member. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Division

The petition claims that Lee, who was the Reform New Party's presidential candidate, committed verbal sexual violence by describing violence against the female body to attack an opponent during the debate, thus violating the Constitution and the National Assembly Act, which members of parliament are obliged to uphold. The petitioner argued that Lee's behavior betrays the trust of sovereign citizens and seriously damages the dignity of a member of the National Assembly.

For a member of the National Assembly to be expelled, approval from at least two-thirds of all members is required. Although the likelihood of expulsion is not high, the large number of signatures gathered in a short period makes a discussion at the parliamentary level inevitable.

Chun Haram, acting leader of the Reform New Party, said in a KBS radio interview on this day, "In the end, controversies like the TV debate did not seem to be helpful," adding, "After the debate, (support) dropped a little, and although it actually recovered, toward the end, it was clear that the psychology of preventing wasted votes came into play."

Chun also stated, "Our party was too weak to fully support Lee," and added, "From the public's perspective, there must have been doubts about whether the Reform New Party was 'prepared,' and this worked to slightly diminish Lee's individual competitiveness."