The People Power Party's Party Affairs Audit Committee imposes a severe sanction of '3-year suspension of party membership' on lawmakers Kwon Young-se and Lee Yang-soo.

On the 25th, lawmaker Kwon Young-se from the People Power Party strongly opposed the Party Affairs Audit Committee's decision to suspend his party membership for three years. This sanction is related to the controversy over the replacement of presidential candidates, and Kwon publicly criticized it as "an unacceptable decision."

On the same day, Kwon expressed his strong regret through his Facebook. He stated, "I am confident that this will be corrected, and those who led such a factional decision will certainly be held accountable."

Earlier, Yoo Il-jun, chair of the People Power Party's Party Affairs Audit Committee, held a briefing on the results of the party audit at the party's central office in Yeouido on the morning of the 25th. He announced that he had decided to impose a severe punishment of '3-year suspension of party membership' on Kwon Young-se, who was the vice chair at that time, and Lee Yang-soo, who was the Secretary General, regarding the attempted replacement of the presidential candidates 'Kim Moon-soo and Han Duck-soo'.

The People Power Party, facing deepening internal conflicts, shows divided opinions regarding the sanction decision.

The recent sanction from the Party Affairs Audit Committee is not a final decision and will be subject to review by the party's ethics committee before being finalized. As a result, attention is focused on the upcoming decisions of the ethics committee.

Lawmaker Lee Yang-soo, who faced the same sanction, is also voicing opposition.

In a text message, Lee explained that the replacement of the presidential candidate was "agreed upon by the lawmakers and decided by the leadership committee." He also expressed hope that the ethics committee would correct the matter, expecting a fair judgment.

This situation is a manifestation of the internal conflicts within the People Power Party, and the debate over accountability regarding the presidential candidate replacement controversy and the power dynamics within the party is expected to continue. In particular, the severe sanctions against senior lawmakers like Kwon Young-se and Lee Yang-soo are forecasted to have a considerable impact on the party's internal power dynamics.

Image source: Kwon Young-se, lawmaker from the People Power Party / News1, News1