Han Donghoon: "Expelled Through False Manipulation... Jang Donghyuk Is Trying to Oust Me"

"Serious Procedural Violations in Ethics Committee's Decision"
"Another Declaration of Martial Law... I Will Stop It"

Former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon stated on January 14 that the Central Ethics Committee’s decision to expel him over the so-called party member bulletin board incident amounted to “another declaration of martial law,” adding, “I will make sure to stop this martial law as well.”

Han held a press conference at the National Assembly that day, saying, “They expelled me based on fabricated and manipulated information, even though I stopped martial law and protected the party.”

Yonhap News Agency

The party’s Ethics Committee made the surprise decision to expel Han in the early hours of the day. In a press release around 1 a.m., followed by a correction later in the morning, the committee explained, “The Party Affairs Audit Committee’s investigation confirmed that posts were made using an account under the name of the disciplinary subject,” and added, “The person under investigation bears significant political and ethical responsibility.”

Han challenged the procedural legality of the Ethics Committee’s decision. He pointed out, “Normally, the person under investigation is contacted five days in advance, but the text message notifying me of the referral to the Ethics Committee came late the day before yesterday, and the following day I was told to appear,” adding, “I believe there was a serious procedural violation.”

He also criticized the political motivation behind the expulsion. Han said, “Representative Jang Donghyuk is acting to remove me for blocking martial law,” and added, “They claim the Ethics Committee is a public-interest body, but that is not what is happening now.”

However, Han indicated that he is not considering filing for a retrial or an injunction regarding the Ethics Committee’s decision. He stated, “The Ethics Committee changed its written decision twice, clearly having predetermined the outcome and tailored the process to fit,” and added, “It is meaningless to request a retrial from such a committee.”

The Ethics Committee’s decision for severe disciplinary action will be finalized after approval by the Supreme Council. The party leadership plans to vote on Han’s expulsion at the Supreme Council meeting on January 15. After a ‘Daejeon-Chungnam Integration Policy Consultation’ with the mayor of Daejeon at Daejeon City Hall that day, Representative Jang told reporters, “I believe the Ethics Committee made its decision after considering various circumstances,” and added, “We are not considering immediately overturning it or seeking an alternative solution.”