Lawmakers including Lee Seong-kwon and Kim Yong-tae from the People Power Party's private faction 'Alternative and Future' hold a press conference on December 3rd of last year at the National Assembly Communication Center in Yeouido, Seoul, to apologize to the public regarding the December 3rd state of emergency martial law. [Photo=Yonhap News]Responsible party members and supporting citizens of the People Power Party have taken the drastic step of submitting a request for severe disciplinary action against all affiliated lawmakers to the People Power Party's Central Ethics Committee on the 19th, demanding the immediate dissolution of the private faction 'Alternative and Future,' which is fostering division within the party.

This signature campaign was conducted as an emergency online signature drive for a total of 44 hours from the 17th to the 19th. At the time of submission, 18,352 people had already participated, and a complete list of signatories spanning hundreds of pages was submitted to the Ethics Committee. 

What is particularly noteworthy is the fact that even after the Ethics Committee's submission was completed, the overnight signing has been surging at a terrifying pace. As of the press release distribution, a total of 20,000 people have joined the signature campaign in just three days, proving the unprecedented anger and solidarity of the party members.

According to the request, it vehemently condemned the actions, stating, "At this grave moment of emergency when the party must unite to resist the constitutional violations of the Lee Jae-myung administration, lawmakers who should be leading party unity are instead falling into factional self-interest, openly announcing a statement demanding the resignation of the leadership and thus fostering internal division, which is a clear act of treason."

Furthermore, the request meticulously criticized the series of harmful actions perpetrated by the faction, stating, "Those who directly defied the party's prior legitimate resolution by the party's ethics committee to expel former leader Han Dong-hoon, and committed collective defiance, have recently gone as far as to commit unprecedented insubordination by pressuring the resignation of Jang Dong-hyuk, the party leader legitimately elected by the party members, through Supreme Council members Yang Hyang-ja and Woo Jae-joon."

Accordingly, the responsible party members, based on Article 8-3 of the party constitution (Principle of No Factionalism), which strictly prohibits factional politics within the party, and Article 20 of the party regulations (Denial of Party Resolutions and Disruption of Party Discipline), which severely punishes actions that deny legitimate party resolutions, strongly urged two key points to the Central Ethics Committee.

1. Immediate dissolution of the internal factional private organization 'Alternative and Future,' which rejects the Ethics Committee's legitimate decisions and shakes party democracy (Violation of Article 8-3 of the party constitution and Article 20 of the party regulations).

2. Severe punishment, including expulsion and suspension of party membership rights, for all participants of 'Alternative and Future,' including Supreme Council members Yang Hyang-ja and Woo Jae-joon, who led the pressure for the party leader's resignation, as well as lawmakers Lee Seong-kwon, Kwon Young-jin, Song Seok-jun, Park Jeong-ha, Kim Yong-tae, Kim Jae-seop, Ko Dong-jin, Kim So-hee, Kim Geon, Ahn Sang-hoon, and Yoo Yong-won.

A representative of the responsible party members who led this signature campaign emphasized, "Even after news of the Ethics Committee's submission became known, voluntary real-time signatures from angry party members and citizens continue to pour in," adding, "If those who are leading the entire right-wing camp toward mutual destruction are left as they are, the party members will never stand idly by, and we once again urge the Ethics Committee for a firm and impartial decision."

Reporter Lim Yo-hee