The People Power Party's central ethics committee on the 20th decided on heavy disciplinary action of "suspension of party membership" for four incumbent lawmakers outside the party leadership faction. Lawmakers Cho Kyung-tae, Jin Jong-oh, and Kwon Young-jin, whose suspension periods are at least 1 year and 6 months, are effectively blocked from running as People Power Party candidates in the next general election unless the penalties are withdrawn. With a mass heavy sanction against sitting lawmakers, internal conflict within the People Power Party appears to be heading toward a boiling point.
The People Power Party ethics committee said in a press release at about 7:40 p.m. that it had voted on the disciplinary review results for the four incumbent lawmakers. The level of punishment had been expected to be released tomorrow (the 21st), but the announcement came immediately, defying expectations.
The severity of the penalties is also seen as higher than expected. The suspension periods are 2 years and 6 months for lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae, 2 years for lawmaker Jin Jong-oh, 1 year and 6 months for lawmaker Kwon Young-jin, and 10 months for lawmaker Seo Beom-soo. Given that 1 year and 8 months remain until the general election in April 2028, Cho Kyung-tae, Jin Jong-oh, and Kwon Young-jin are effectively unlikely to receive People Power Party nominations. Because those suspended must also give up their district party chair posts, they are disadvantaged in nomination contests.
All four lawmakers who received heavy sanctions are outside the leadership faction and have been at odds with leader Jang Dong-hyeok. Many are close to party leadership contenders who can be seen as Jang's rivals, such as independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. After the decision, Han Dong-hoon criticized it, saying, "Selective and arbitrary disciplinary politics aimed at turning a public party into a private fiefdom continues."
Leader Jang is pushing a plan to reelect all district party chairs whose terms expire at the end of this month through a vote by dues-paying party members. It appears intended to have party members choose, instead of senior figures with strong organizational control or sitting lawmakers. The leadership initially sought to reach a conclusion at the supreme council meeting that day, but as backlash from incumbent lawmakers intensified, it decided to reconvene a general meeting of lawmakers on the 21st for further discussion.
Outside-the-assembly supreme council members and pro-leadership supreme council members such as Shin Dong-wook and Kim Jae-won are siding with leader Jang, calling to give up vested interests, while floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig and senior lawmakers with three or more terms are voicing opposition. With both sides in a standoff and a conclusion hard to reach, a sudden decision for heavy sanctions against non-leadership lawmakers came down that night.
In political circles, the reshuffle of district party chairs along with this mass sanctioning of incumbent lawmakers is seen as likely to amplify intra-party conflict within the People Power Party. They say blame-shifting between the leadership faction and the non-leadership faction over the party's approval ratings—which have shown little sign of rebounding since the local elections—could intensify in earnest.
A first-term People Power Party lawmaker said, "Leader Jang seems clearly set on winning a possible Seoul mayoral by-election in April next year to win a renewed mandate and even seek another term," adding, "If the non-leadership faction fails to find grounds to force Leader Jang to step down before then, scenes of in-fighting within the party like now are likely to continue."