discipline

Feb. 9 (Asia Today) — A power struggle over nomination authority within South Korea’s conservative People Power Party intensified Monday as Seoul party chair Bae Hyun-jin faced possible disciplinary action ahead of the June 3 local elections.

Tensions escalated after the party’s central ethics committee initiated disciplinary proceedings against Bae, while the Seoul city party’s ethics body launched a separate case involving a conservative YouTuber. The parallel moves have fueled an open clash between the party leadership faction and lawmakers aligned with former leader Han Dong-hoon.

Senior vice chairpersons of the Seoul party rejected the central committee’s action, warning against undermining a city chair elected by delegates across Seoul. They denied allegations that Bae led a signature campaign opposing Han’s expulsion from the party.

Those accusations were raised by Lee Sang-gyu, who filed the ethics complaint against Bae. He dismissed the denials as false, accusing critics of trying to shield what he described as undemocratic procedures and abuse of authority.

Local media reported that Bae confronted party leader Jang Dong-hyuk during a National Assembly session, pressing him on whether the central ethics committee’s intervention reflected his intent and asking whether he supported suspending her duties as Seoul party chair.

The dispute has raised speculation that severe disciplinary action against Bae could reshape the party’s nomination landscape ahead of the local elections, turning the ethics process into a broader struggle for control. Some party officials, however, suggested the leadership may seek to de-escalate.

Jang Ye-chan, a deputy director at the party-affiliated Yeouido Research Institute, said prolonged disciplinary proceedings would only increase the leadership’s burden. He predicted the leadership would avoid sanctioning Bae and instead pivot toward a message of unity and reform.

A Seoul party official offered a contrasting view, saying disciplinary action was likely. The official alleged Bae pressured party members by leveraging nomination authority ahead of the local elections and said internal discord had grown within the city party organization.

Separately, the People Power Party confirmed the expulsion of former supreme council member Kim Jong-hyuk, a figure associated with the pro-Han faction. The central ethics committee had issued a recommendation last month urging him to leave the party, triggering automatic expulsion under party rules. Kim said he would pursue legal action against the party leadership and the ethics committee.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260210010003400