PPP keeps trying to build leadership with a floor leader

Home > National > Politics

print dictionary print

PPP keeps trying to build leadership with a floor leader

Rep. Joo Ho-young speaks after being elected floor leader for the People Power Party (PPP) at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Rep. Joo Ho-young speaks after being elected floor leader for the People Power Party (PPP) at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

 
The People Power Party (PPP) elected Rep. Joo Ho-young its floor leader Monday after beginning procedures to review further disciplinary action against its beleaguered former chief Lee Jun-seok.  
 
Joo, a five-term lawmaker, beat Rep. Lee Yong-ho, a two-term lawmaker, with 61 out of 106 votes at a general meeting. His term as floor leader will run to April 2023.
 
Joo previously served as chair of the PPP's short-lived emergency steering committee, which was suspended last month by a court injunction filed by former PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok.  
 
Last week, the PPP launched a second emergency steering committee, this time led by Chung Jin-suk, deputy speaker of the National Assembly. However, Lee filed for another court injunction against it.  
 
Joo replaced Kweon Seong-dong, the former PPP floor leader and a close confident of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who stepped down from the post earlier this month to take responsibility for the turmoil within the party.  
 
"First, the party must become stabilized," Joo said after he was named floor leader. "The most important thing is to restore trust from the people and increase the party's approval ratings by helping the vulnerable, working with Honam, participating in youth politics and bridging the gap between the rich and the poor."  
 
The Honam region, referring to the Gwangju and North and South Jeolla region, is traditionally a liberal stronghold.
 
When asked about Lee, who was responsible for overturning his chairmanship of the first emergency committee, Joo said, "We will try to solve the problem by consulting with party members and lawmakers."
 
Former PPP chief Lee faced an intense weekend, undergoing some 12 hours of police investigation on Saturday over allegations he accepted sexual bribes from a businessman in 2013 and later abetted in a cover-up.  
 
He was grilled by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency over accusations that he received sexual services paid for by Kim Sung-jin, CEO of the tech company i-Kaist, who was trying to curry access to President Park Geun-hye. Lee was considered a protégé of Park. He entered politics in 2011 as a member of an interim emergency leadership committee of the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the PPP, at the recommendation of Park.  
 
On Sunday, the PPP held an emergency ethics committee meeting to begin the process of taking disciplinary action against Lee.  
 
Aside from the sexual services complaint, Lee is accused of using insulting language against the president and PPP members, damaging party unity and hurting its reputation.  
 
The ethics committee convened at 3 p.m. on a Sunday, 10 days sooner than expected, and just after President Yoon Suk-yeol departed the country for London, New York and cities in Canada.  
 
Lee Yang-hee, chairperson of the ethics committee and a former UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, said in a press briefing after the meeting, "The use of insulting and derogatory expressions without an objective basis and allegations of violation of the law impedes upon the unity of the party and undermines the party's prestige.
 
Lee Jun-seok was criticized for making controversial remarks through press conferences and social media posts last month, such as using the colorful expression "selling dog meat while waving a sheep's head," to describe the presidential campaign for Yoon.  
 
Lee also used the term "new military junta," alluding to the Yoon government, in a handwritten statement when filing for a court injunction.
 
The ethics committee procedure could determine Lee's political future. As he is already temporarily suspended from the party, the next course of action could include expulsion.
 
In early July, the PPP's ethics committee decided to suspend Lee's party membership for six months over the sexual bribery allegations.  
 
After much internal debate on whether to form a new interim leadership, the PPP revised its party charter and launched its first emergency leadership committee led by Joo in mid-August, effectively ousting Lee as party chief.
 
Lee in turn filed several lawsuits against the party.  
 
On Aug. 26, the Seoul Southern District Court temporarily suspended the duties of Joo as chair of the PPP's emergency steering committee, siding with Lee.  
 
This whole process could be repeated now that the PPP launched a new emergency steering committee and Lee filed for more court injunctions.  
 
The Seoul Southern District Court is expected to hold a hearing on his latest request later this month.
 
The ethics committee is expected to make a decision on the level of disciplinary action to be taken against Lee during a plenary session on Sept. 28.  
 
In a Facebook post Sunday night, Lee cited Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression."
 
Lee said in a statement through his legal representative Monday that he plans to "take all legal measures" against the PPP if it takes more disciplinary action against him, including filing for injunctions and even complaints to the United Nations.
 
He added that the ethics committee's decision to initiate the disciplinary procedure is an "obstruction of justice" and an "act of retaliation" against the court injunctions.  
 

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)