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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

People Power Party ethics committee member resigned from Coupang job over concurrent employment violation

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A lawyer newly appointed to the People Power Party's ethics committee was found to have resigned from his position at Coupang due to a violation of company regulations regarding concurrent employment.
  • The appointment and insufficient vetting of the ethics committee member have drawn criticism amid the party's disciplinary actions against lawmakers aligned with a faction critical of the party leadership.
  • The lawyer's concurrent employment at Coupang, a company that prohibits political activities for its employees, has raised questions about the ethics committee's impartiality.

A lawyer who recently joined the People Power Party's central ethics committee has resigned from his position at Coupang after violating company regulations by holding concurrent employment. This revelation comes as the party faces backlash for imposing heavy disciplinary measures, including suspension of party membership, on lawmakers associated with a faction opposing the leadership.

The employee has been on leave since May, and the company was completely unaware of their private activities.

— Coupang representativeExplaining the company's stance on the lawyer's concurrent employment.

The lawyer, who joined the ethics committee on May 30, had been on parental leave from Coupang since May. A Coupang representative stated that the company was unaware of the lawyer's activities outside of his leave and immediately notified him of the violation of the company's concurrent employment ban. The lawyer subsequently submitted his resignation, which has been processed.

Coupang, which prohibits political activities, identified the fact that the person was a member of the People Power Party's ethics committee and pursued disciplinary action.

— Rep. Park Jung-hoonCriticizing the vetting process for the ethics committee member.

Criticism has emerged from within the party, particularly from those aligned with the 'Han Dong-hoon faction,' questioning the vetting process for ethics committee members. Rep. Park Jung-hoon criticized the appointment, suggesting that Coupang initiated disciplinary action against the lawyer upon learning of his role in the People Power Party's ethics committee. He questioned whether the lawyer abandoned his lucrative Coupang position solely to influence disciplinary actions within the party.

Did you throw away your good Coupang job just to discipline people according to Jang Dong-hyuk's taste as a member of the People Power Party's ethics committee?

— Rep. Park Jung-hoonQuestioning the lawyer's motives for joining the ethics committee.

Rep. Han Dong-hoon also voiced concerns on Facebook, asking if it was true that a Coupang employee participated in disciplinary actions within the People Power Party's ethics committee. He added, "It seems that politicians in the People Power Party will have to be mindful of Coupang's stance in the future under the current party leadership."

Is it true that a Coupang employee participated in disciplinary actions for the 'privatization' of the People Power Party as a member of the ethics committee?

— Rep. Han Dong-hoonRaising concerns about the ethics committee member's affiliation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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