EXTRA DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST LEE

[Anchor Lead]

Following the court's injunction ruling,the People Power Party's ethics committee handed down additional disciplinary measures for the party's former leader Lee Jun-seok. His party membership was suspended for one more year for filing suit for more injunctions among other reasons. The party decided to give only a warning, not a disciplinary action, to Kweon Seong-dong who drank at a dinner party.

[Pkg]

The People Power Party's ethics committee decided to suspend its former leader Lee Jun-seok's membership for one more year. The committee took issue with the fact that Lee had filed for an additional injunction to stop emergency committee chair Chung Jin-suk. The ethics committee claimed that Lee had violated his duty as a party member by not following the party line of forming a new emergency committee.

[Soundbite] Lee Yang-hee(Chair, PPP Ethics Committee) : "The reason is that Lee filed for an injunction to stop the revised constitution and a new emergency committee despite a party's decision."

The PPP took the court's first injunction ruling in August as the reason for the disciplinary action. At the time, the court had ruled that the convening and voting at the national committee meeting for the party were legal even when then-emergency committee chair Joo Ho-young's duty was suspended. But Lee still requested a ban on a national committee meeting slated for later. The ethics committee deemed his action to be very inappropriate. Also included in the reason for disciplinary action was that Lee had harmed the dignity of the president and the party by using terms including "dog meat" and "new military regime."

[Soundbite] Lee Yang-hee(Chair, PPP Ethics Committee) : "Defaming someone by continuously using humiliating and criticizing remarks worsens the confusion within the party and people's sentiment."

The latest penalty increases the duration of Lee's membership suspension to one year and six months, to last until January of 2024. Yesterday's injunction ruling by the court ruined his plan to return as party leader and the ethics committee decision made it impossible for him to even run in a party convention expected for early next year. Meanwhile, the ethics committee issued a stern warning, not a disciplinary action, to former PPP Floor Leader Kweon Seong-dong for drinking at a dinner party. The committee said although it was inappropriate of him to be drinking when the party is in turmoil, it is difficult to see Kweon's behavior as a violation of the party's no alcohol rule as it took place after an official event had been over.