Jang Dong-hyuk, the interim leader of the People Power Party, enters a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on the 29th. [Yonhap News]Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon has ultimately been expelled from the party.

This severe measure, taken with just over four months remaining until the June 3rd local elections, is expected to deepen internal party strife as factional conflict between pro-Han (Han Dong-hoon loyalists) and the party leadership reaches its peak.

During a Supreme Council meeting held on the morning of the 29th, the People Power Party leadership voted to approve the expulsion of former leader Han Dong-hoon, the highest level of disciplinary action, as recommended by the party's Central Ethics Committee, citing alleged "manipulation of public opinion on the party member bulletin board" by his family.

This decision comes 16 days after the Ethics Committee recommended the expulsion.

Interim leader Jang Dong-hyuk, in his first Supreme Council meeting since returning to party duties after completing his hunger strike against the "twin special prosecutors" related to the Unification Church and campaign funds, confirmed Han Dong-hoon's expulsion.

Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon stated in a briefing, "The disciplinary action against former leader Han Dong-hoon has been approved by the Supreme Council as resolved by the Ethics Committee," adding, "A total of nine Supreme Council members, including the party leader, floor leader, and policy committee chair, participated in the vote. The voting details and whether it was for or against remain undisclosed."

He continued, "There will be a notification process for former leader Han Dong-hoon regarding the resolution. The expulsion takes effect immediately after the resolution."

Regarding the rationale for approving the Ethics Committee's expulsion recommendation as is, he merely stated, "The details have already been disclosed by the Ethics Committee, so please refer to that."

The Supreme Council meeting, which proceeded behind closed doors for about 20 minutes, put the agenda to a show of hands vote with only the nine members holding voting rights remaining.

Youth Supreme Council member Woo Jae-jun, a loyalist of Han Dong-hoon, expressed his opposition and left the room. The remaining members indicated their consent by a show of hands, resulting in an 8-1 vote in favor of expulsion, as conveyed to reporters by Supreme Council members Kim Min-soo and Cho Gwang-han.

However, Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja told reporters, "I determined that I could not express any opinion today. Abstaining did not involve a show of hands," clarifying that her stance was abstention, not a vote in favor.

Previously, the Ethics Committee held a meeting on the afternoon of the 13th and decided to expel former leader Han Dong-hoon, announcing this decision to the media in the early hours of the 14th.

Subsequently, the party leadership attempted to process Han Dong-hoon's expulsion at the Supreme Council meeting on the 15th. However, as a majority of members expressed concerns, leader Jang Dong-hyuk postponed the agenda for ten days, the period for filing an appeal for review. On the same day, Jang Dong-hyuk began a hunger strike, delaying the confirmation of the expulsion by two weeks.

With this expulsion, Han Dong-hoon will be ineligible for re-admission to the party for five years without a Supreme Council resolution. Consequently, he will be unable to run as a candidate for the People Power Party in the June local elections, by-elections, as well as the next general and presidential elections.

In light of this, political circles are discussing the possibility of former leader Han Dong-hoon running as an independent in a by-election for a National Assembly seat.

Former leader Han Dong-hoon is scheduled to hold a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center at 2 PM today to announce his position on the expulsion. Prior to this, at 1:20 PM, a press conference by his loyalists is also scheduled.