Bitterness persists as PPP tries to move beyond Lee Jun-seok

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Bitterness persists as PPP tries to move beyond Lee Jun-seok

Rep. Joo Ho-young, center, interim chief of the People Power Party (PPP), and other members of the PPP’s emergency steering committee bow in apology for turmoil within the party at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, Thursday. [NEWS1]

Rep. Joo Ho-young, center, interim chief of the People Power Party (PPP), and other members of the PPP’s emergency steering committee bow in apology for turmoil within the party at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, Thursday. [NEWS1]

 
Rep. Joo Ho-young, interim chief of the People Power Party (PPP), apologized for the turmoil in the party's leadership Thursday.  
 
The party's emergency steering committee held its first meeting that morning at the National Assembly after formally ousting former chief Lee Jun-seok, who received a six-month suspension last month over sexual bribery allegations.  
 
"We sincerely apologize to the public and party members," said Joo, "and we're self-reflecting for failing to resolve the conflict and division within the party and for allowing the situation to evolve into a legal dispute."  
 
The members of the committee bowed in apology at the start of the meeting.  
 
Joo also apologized for inappropriate behavior and remarks by some party members and for not being able to help President Yoon Suk-yeol's government stabilize.  
 
"Let's do our best to restore trust from the public by leading a successful emergency steering committee and ensure that a proper leadership stabilizes at an early stage," said Joo.  
 
"We must unite," he added, calling for a "fresh start with a sense of urgency and responsibility."  
 
On July 8, the PPP ethics committee suspended Lee's party membership for six months over allegations that he accepted sexual services paid for by a businessman in 2013 and abetted in a cover-up attempt.  
 
Over the past month, the PPP held many internal discussions and overcame technical hurdles to launch an emergency leadership for the party.  
 
On Tuesday, the PPP's emergency steering committee, headed by Joo, took control after filling its nine members, automatically dissolving the PPP's Supreme Council led by Lee and formally replacing its youngest-ever chairman. Lee's two-year term would have run to June 2023.  
 
The emergency steering committee in its first meeting Thursday appointed Rep. Kim Seok-ki as secretary general and Rep. Park Jeong-ha as a spokesman.  
 
Lee Jun-seok, former chief of the People Power Party, speaks to reporters after attending a court hearing at the Seoul Southern District Court in southern Seoul Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Lee Jun-seok, former chief of the People Power Party, speaks to reporters after attending a court hearing at the Seoul Southern District Court in southern Seoul Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In turn, Lee continues to maintain his innocence and blamed close associates of President Yoon for his ouster in a tearful press conference on Saturday and scathing interviews on radio programs this week.  
 
Lee filed for a court injunction against the PPP last week to halt the emergency steering committee from launching. A decision is expected as early as next week.  
 
A decision initially had been expected sooner, but a Seoul Southern District Court judge said Thursday, "It is taking a considerable amount of time to carefully review the case," adding it will be "difficult to make a decision within this week."  
 
Lee attended a court hearing on Wednesday. He said there are problems with the party's procedures to launch an emergency steering committee and also claimed that his six-month suspension does not count in an emergency situation.  
 
Separately, Lee filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Southern District Court against the PPP Tuesday to nullify the validity of the party's emergency steering committee, according to legal sources Thursday. This could further escalate the tensions with the PPP.
 
Yoon has refrained from responding to Lee's comments against him and said in a press conference marking 100 days in office Wednesday that he has been too busy with presidential duties to pay attention or "comment on other politicians' remarks."
 
When asked about Yoon's press conference, Lee parroted the president's remarks and said, "I have been too busy thinking about democracy within the party that I, unfortunately, didn't have a chance to listen to what the president said."
 
In an interview with KBS radio on Thursday, Lee said about Yoon, "The people have been deceived, and I also have been deceived."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
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