"Seoul Chapter Ethics Committee Courageously Pushed Forward With Ko Sungguk's Disciplinary Action"
Bae Hyunjin, a lawmaker of the People Power Party and head of the party's Seoul chapter, said on the 11th regarding the initiation of disciplinary procedures by the Central Ethics Committee, "The right to nominate candidates does not belong exclusively to the party leadership," adding, "The right to nominate candidates belongs to the people and the citizens. They may be able to put me on a political scaffold and discipline an inconvenient chapter chair, but they will not be able to discipline public sentiment."
Bae met with reporters at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, earlier that day before appearing before the Central Ethics Committee and said, "It is concerning that the Ethics Committee, instead of imposing expulsion or forcing withdrawal from the party, is choosing to suspend my party membership, which would bring to a halt all at once the candidate nomination screening work of the chapter that is in the midst of preparing for the Seoul elections, and would lead to dismantling the organization that has been built up over the past six months."
Previously, Lee Sanggyu, head of the party chapter for Seongbuk-gu B district in Seoul, filed a complaint with the Central Ethics Committee against Bae on grounds including that a statement opposing disciplinary action against former party leader Han Donghoon, which was driven by the Seoul chapter chair, had been distorted to appear as if it represented the will of the entire chapter. Pro-Han figures have condemned this as "retaliation following the submission of a petition demanding disciplinary action against conservative YouTuber Ko Sungguk" and as "an attempt to seize control of the chapter," and are pushing back.
Bae first commented on the chapter Ethics Committee’s decision the previous day to recommend that Ko leave the party, saying, "The consistent position of the Seoul chapter is to move in a direction that is in line with the hearts of the people and the citizens," and, "I see this as the chapter Ethics Committee courageously handling a difficult task that the central party found hard to deal with. If Ko files an appeal, the matter will be passed on to the Central Ethics Committee."
Regarding the disciplinary procedures against herself, Bae added, "At this morning’s Seoul chapter steering committee meeting, even as the chapter head who directly filed the complaint was explaining, there were many elements that were not factual, and many parts mixed with speculation and misunderstanding, and chapter heads pointed out that the grounds for disciplinary action were weak," and continued, "I believe the Ethics Committee is making a commonsense and reasonable judgment."
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