The People Power Party party affairs audit committee on the 16th recommended a two-year suspension of party membership for Kim Jong-hyuk, a former supreme council member aligned with Han Dong-hoon (head of the party chapter for Goyang-si B).
Lee Ho-sun, chairperson of the People Power Party party affairs audit committee, held a briefing at the central party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, that afternoon and said the committee asked the party's ethics committee to impose a heavy penalty of "two years' suspension of party membership" on the former supreme council member.
The chairperson said, "The party affairs audit committee decided today to refer Kim Jong-hyuk, head of the Goyang-si B party chapter, to the ethics committee for violating the party constitution, party regulations, and ethics rules," adding, "We recommend a disciplinary level of two years' suspension of party membership."
The party affairs audit committee said the former supreme council member compared the party to an extreme regime on radio and YouTube and used discriminatory expressions about a particular religion. It also cited insulting expressions toward the party leader as grounds for discipline.
The chairperson said, "He described the way our party operates as fascist and compared the People Power Party to the North Korean Workers' Party," adding, "He used insulting expressions, saying party members were like people with mental illness lost in delusions." The chairperson continued, "He also made religiously discriminatory remarks, criticizing a particular religion by saying people who joined were influenced by a pseudo-religious cult leader."
The chairperson said, "About Chairperson Jang, he used insulting phrases such as 'barely elected,' 'sold the soul,' 'tightrope walking,' and 'two-timing,'" adding, "Kim's remarks amount to stigmatization rather than criticism."
On the case known as the "party member bulletin board" incident, in which former leader Han Dong-hoon's family is reported to be involved, the committee said the investigation is still underway. The chairperson said, "It is in the process of investigation," and "We are going through all the procedures we can within the party."