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The top leadership of the People Power Party announced on the 29th that it has decided to remove former leader Han Dong-hoon due to the “party member bulletin board incident.” Former leader Han is set to conduct a press briefing at the National Assembly at 2 p.m. today. With the Supreme Council’s decision to remove former leader Han four months before the June 3 local elections, some observers believe the People Power Party has essentially plunged into a “civil war” scenario.

Leader of the People Power Party, Jang Dong-hyeok, chaired the initial Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on the same day following his return from a hunger strike, and decided to remove former representative Han. Should the expulsion be confirmed, his party membership will be terminated, effectively preventing him from rejoining the party.

Senior spokesperson Choi Bo-yun addressed the media following the conclusion of the Supreme Council meeting, stating, “The disciplinary action against former representative Han was approved by the Supreme Council in accordance with the Ethics Committee’s decision.” Previously, the Ethics Committee had decided to remove former representative Han.

Senior spokesperson Choi stated, “Nine people took part in the vote, including six members of the Supreme Council, the party leader, the floor leader, and the chairperson of the policy committee,” but mentioned, “The specifics of the vote and the details of the votes for or against are kept private.” Those who took part in the vote were People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, Supreme Council members Shin Dong-wook, Kim Min-soo, Yang Hyang-ja, Kim Jae-won, Woo Jae-jun, and Cho Kwang-han, as well as floor leader Song Eon-seog and policy committee chairperson Jeong Jeom-sig. It was reported that only Supreme Council member Woo voted against.

A member of the Supreme Council, Woo, who is affiliated with the pro-Han faction, left the vote early and spoke to reporters, stating, “I felt there was no reason to stay until the end of the meeting, so I left (in the middle).” He mentioned, “Other than the parts altered by the party audit committee, there isn’t much substantial information in the disciplinary reasons given against former representative Han,” and said, “Still, removing him, the most severe disciplinary action, is ultimately a form of retaliation for supporting the impeachment.” He added, “This expulsion decision is incorrect,” and expressed disappointment, saying, “It’s very regrettable that the only result from leader Jang’s hunger strike is the expulsion of former representative Han.”

On the other hand, Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo brought up the incident during his speech at the Supreme Council meeting that day, questioning, “Why is this incident being focused on former representative Han Dong-hoon as an individual?” and stressed, “We should concentrate on the incident itself, not the person involved.” He added, “If I, Kim Min-soo, had committed the same action instead of former representative Han, would it have lasted 15 months? In my opinion, I would have been expelled without even needing an Ethics Committee decision,” and said, “If today’s decision is wrong, it would imply that the People Power Party will not hold anyone accountable for this act in the future.” Another Supreme Council member, Cho Kwang-han, also stated, “We need to address the toxic debt for the sake of our party’s future,” which was seen as a suggestion to proceed with former representative Han’s expulsion.

A controversy surrounding the party member bulletin board has emerged, with claims that the family of former representative Han defamed former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, along with others, on the People Power Party’s member bulletin board in November 2024. The Ethics Committee convened a meeting at the party’s headquarters beginning at 5 p.m. on the 13th and issued the disciplinary ruling at 1:15 a.m. on the 14th.

A former legislator named Han is set to hold a press event at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, at 2 p.m. on that day to express his stance. He has continuously rejected the Ethics Committee’s decision to remove him, describing it as “clearly an act of manipulation and political revenge.”