"Kwon Youngse and Lee Yangsoo Have Already Taken Political Responsibility"
On social media that day, Kwon Seongdong said, "The purpose of establishing the Party Affairs Audit Committee is to enhance transparency and credibility in party affairs," and criticized, "Today's announcement is an arbitrary and biased decision that does not align with that purpose at all."
Kwon Youngse, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Kwon Seongdong, Floor Leader, are attending the party meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th. May 8, 2025 Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Earlier on the same day, Yuiljun, chair of the Party Affairs Audit Committee, held a briefing at the Yeouido central party headquarters and defined the attempt to replace the presidential candidate as a violation of the party constitution and regulations. He announced that the committee would request the party's Ethics Committee to impose a three-year suspension of party membership on Kwon Youngse, who was then the emergency committee chair, and Lee, who was the secretary general.
Chair Yuiljun explained the exclusion of then-floor leader Kwon Seongdong from disciplinary action by stating, "We discussed that, in this matter, Kwon Seongdong did not take actions warranting responsibility to the extent of the election committee chair or the emergency committee chair, unlike other emergency committee members."
In response, Kwon Seongdong stated, "I will not hide behind the chair's arbitrary exoneration as if he is 'letting me off the hook,'" and added, "I am also not afraid of being the target of disciplinary action."
He further explained, "Kwon Youngse and Lee took political responsibility at the time by resigning from their party positions," and added, "I also expressed my intention to resign, but at the request of then-candidate Kim Moonsoo, I only performed limited duties."
He also criticized the Party Affairs Audit Committee, saying, "They are excessively focusing on this issue alone," and pointed out, "During the current chair's entire term, not a single proper investigation has been conducted into other major issues of equal importance."
Kwon Seongdong argued, "The court has already ended the legal controversy by dismissing the injunction, and the political conflict was also resolved through the magnanimous decision of candidate Kim Moonsoo," and continued, "For the Party Affairs Audit Committee to offer an arbitrary interpretation that goes beyond the court's judgment from a hindsight perspective only adds unnecessary burdens to our party, which is already facing unprecedented difficulties." Previously, on May 9, the court dismissed both the injunction filed by then-candidate Kim Moonsoo's camp to recognize his candidacy and the injunction to prohibit the holding of the National Committee's party convention.
He concluded, "Turning some into scapegoats will never resolve the current crisis," and emphasized, "This decision must be corrected."
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