South Korean ruling party leader moves to discipline members who called for his resignation

Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of South Korea's People Power Party, is preparing to take disciplinary action against party members who called for his resignation. These calls came from factions aligned with former interim leader Han Dong-hoon, who are accused of supporting an independent candidate and challenging the party's current leadership.

Jang announced that disciplinary measures, which were put on hold after the local elections, are now due. The party's ethics committee has received disciplinary requests for several members, including lawmakers Bae Hyun-jin and Park Jeong-hoon, and Supreme Council member Woo Jae-jun. The reasons cited include supporting Han Dong-hoon as an independent candidate and demanding Jang's resignation.

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There is a need to definitively address the baseless attempts to shake the leadership under the banners of 'Innovation and Alternatives, Future'.

"There is a need to definitively address the baseless attempts to shake the leadership under the banners of 'Innovation and Alternatives, Future'," Jang stated. He indicated that all disciplinary requests, including those related to supporting external candidates, would be thoroughly reviewed. He stressed that disciplinary actions are a matter of principle and standards, crucial for establishing party discipline, and not dependent on whether someone is a current lawmaker.

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Disciplinary actions are a matter of principle and standards, crucial for establishing party discipline, and not dependent on whether someone is a current lawmaker.

Jang also emphasized the need for a meticulous review of disciplinary procedures to prevent legal challenges, referencing a past instance where a court overturned disciplinary actions against lawmakers Bae Hyun-jin and Kim Jong-hyuk. He dismissed the calls for his resignation as "blind" and "out of touch with party and public sentiment." He accused those demanding his resignation or a confidence vote of prioritizing internal power struggles or retaining their seats, questioning their political motives and suggesting they would let the party and conservative politics collapse as long as they kept their positions.

"Attacking the party leader without understanding the party's sentiment is making things difficult for the party and is itself an act of betrayal," Jang asserted. He expressed confidence in the party members' support and reiterated his commitment to a party-centric approach, believing it is the path to establishing proper party discipline and rebuilding conservative politics. He concluded that transforming the party's structure is the starting point for this reconstruction.

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Attacking the party leader without understanding the party's sentiment is making things difficult for the party and is itself an act of betrayal.