Former People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok speaks to reporters as he leaves the Seoul Southern District Court after attending a questioning session, in this Sept. 28 file photo. Yonhap

Lee Jun-seok unlikely to be nominated for 2024 general election

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Former ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok received an additional suspension for a year from party affairs, which makes it difficult for him to run in the 2024 general election.

The ethics committee of the PPP suspended Lee's party membership for a year on Friday, in addition to the previously imposed six months.

Lee's membership will be suspended until January 2024, which makes it practically impossible for him to receive a nomination for the next general election, slated for April 2024. Lee will also be unable to return to his party chairpersonship, which was supposed to end on August 2023.

The committee decided on additional disciplinary measures against Lee during hours of deliberation on Thursday evening and unanimously decided to suspend his membership for another year.

Lee Yang-hee, chairperson of the PPP's ethics committee, said that it decided to impose additional measures as "Lee filed injunctions against the party's emergency leadership and revision of the party constitution, countering the party's stance."

"The PPP held a general meeting and agreed to convert to emergency leadership, but Lee filed injunctions against it," Lee Yang-hee said, adding that his insulting remarks against the party members were also taken into consideration in deciding on the disciplinary measures.

In addition to the party's disciplinary actions, the Seoul Southern District Court dismissed injunctions filed by Lee against the PPP's emergency leadership, Thursday.

Lee did not attend the disciplinary meeting, claiming that he was not given enough time for vindicate himself.

Chung Jin-suk, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, speaks to the press at the National Assembly, Friday, after a court dismissed the party's former chairperson's injunctions against the party's emergency leadership. Yonhap

As Lee is suspended from any involvement in the party until early 2024, the PPP will maintain the emergency leadership of Chung Jin-suk until the party conference.

"We are free from the burden of the injunction," Chung said after the court's decision and ethics committee meeting, Friday.

"I will do my best to have the ruling party to have a stable leadership and support the Yoon Suk-yeol administration."

Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk-yeol declined to comment on the additional punishment Lee received. Speaking to reporters on his way to work on Friday morning, Yoon said, "I have never answered about party issues... Ask me other questions."

The ethics committee also issued a warning against former floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong for holding a drinking party at the party's workshop in August.

The committee said the prohibition of drinking is limited to official workshop, so Kweon's drinking does not violate the ban.

"However, considering the situations both within and outside the party at the moment, his action could seem inappropriate for the party members as well as the public. The ethics committee urged caution to prevent similar incidents," Lee said.