Liberty Korea Party

[Anchor Lead]

The Liberty Korea Party says it wants former President Park Geun-hye as well as Rep. Suh Chung-won and Choi Kyung-hwan to exit the party. The move is part of the Liberty Korea Party's efforts to make a fresh start.

[Pkg]

The innovation committee of the Liberty Korea Party says that former President
Park Geun-hye and key pro-Park lawmakers, Rep. Suh Chung-won and Choi Kyung-hwan, should leave the party. If they refuse to do so, the committee will demand that the party leadership remove their names from the list of party members.

[Soundbite] Ryu Seok-chun(Head of Liberty Korea Party Innovation Committee) : "Former President Park Geun-hye must be told to leave the party on her own and be held accountable for her political failures, from the defeat in the general elections to the loss in the 2017 presidential election."

Former President Park Geun-hye declined to comment on the party's announcement, while pro-Park lawmakers strongly opposed the party's decision by saying that it would only trigger conflicts within the party. Rep. Suh Chung-won and Choi Kyung-hwan, who were penalized back in January for causing the conservative party's disgrace, said that the punishment was unfair. The party leadership is to begin the discussion of punitive measures after the first-instance verdict for Park Geun-hye, which is expected on October 17.

[Soundbite] Hong Jun-pyo(Chairman, Liberty Korea Party) : "We will discuss the matter after mid-October as the pro-Park lawmakers want."

The party's innovation committee said that Bareun Party lawmakers should be allowed to return to the Liberty Korea Party and that the issue should be viewed from a broader perspective. Bareun Party Rep. Kim Moo-sung declined to provide detailed comments regarding the statement, while Rep. Yoo Seung-min blasted it by calling it nonsense.