Defector-turned-lawmaker resigns from PPP supreme council

Politics

Published: 10 May. 2023, 10:41 Updated: 10 May. 2023, 16:33

Defector-turned-lawmaker resigns from PPP supreme council

Rep. Tae Yong-ho leaves a press conference at the National Assembly, where he announced his resignation from the People Power Party supreme council on Wednesday morning. [YONHAP]

Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) quit his position on the party's supreme council on Wednesday morning over recent remarks that have attracted controversy.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly at 10 a.m., Tae cited his desire “to no longer be a burden to the party on the one-year anniversary of President Yoon Suk Yeol taking office” as the reason behind his resignation.

The PPP lawmaker added that he did his “utmost to contribute to the success of the Yoon administration” but ultimately accepted “full responsibility for all controversies” stemming from his comments.

His resignation from the PPP supreme council came hours before the party’s ethics committee was scheduled to hold a meeting to decide what punitive measures should be applied against him and another lawmaker, Kim Jae-won.

Tae’s announcement came two days after the PPP ethics committee failed to reach a decision on what punishments would be appropriate for the two lawmakers.

Tae served as Pyongyang's deputy ambassador to London before he defected to Seoul in 2016. He was elected to represent Seoul's Gangnam A constituency at the National Assembly in 2020, then to a seat on the PPP's supreme council at the party's national convention in March.

But the defector-turned-lawmaker was referred to the PPP's ethics committee for several controversial comments, including arguing that the 1948-49 Jeju April 3 Uprising, which was brutally suppressed by the South Korean government, was instigated on the orders of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung.

Tae also found himself in hot water after a transcript leaked of his remarks to aides regarding an alleged conversation with Lee Jin-bok, the senior presidential political affairs secretary.

According to the transcript, Tae claimed Lee asked him to make comments supporting President Yoon Suk Yeol's efforts to improve relations with Japan while raising the topic of party nominations for next year's parliamentary elections.

Tae has also been accused of accepting money from candidates running to become councilors of his constituency in Seoul's Gangnam District in return for endorsing their nominations.

The money was allegedly given to Tae via bank accounts belonging to the candidates' families and acquaintances.

The PPP’s ethics committee is scheduled to hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday to decide Tae and Kim’s punishments.

The lawmakers could be disqualified from running in next year's parliamentary elections if the committee hands them one-year party membership suspensions or stronger disciplinary measures.

The PPP operates a four-tier disciplinary system. The lowest-level penalty is a simple warning, while the harshest punishments can entail a maximum 3-year membership suspension, a recommendation to leave the party or outright expulsion.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]