PPP ethics committee fails to decide punishments for Tae, Kim

The conservative People Power Party's (PPP) ethics committee failed on Monday to decide on punitive measures against lawmakers Tae Yong-ho and Kim Jae-won for remarks that have courted controversy in recent weeks.

People Power Party Rep. Tae Yong-ho speaks to reporters outside the party's headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday afternoon, just before attending an ethics committee meeting. [YONHAP]

The conservative People Power Party's (PPP) ethics committee failed on Monday to decide on punitive measures against lawmakers Tae Yong-ho and Kim Jae-won for remarks that have courted controversy in recent weeks.

The ethics committee convened at 4 p.m. at the PPP's headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, but did not reach a decision before the meeting ended at 9 p.m.

The committee will instead aim to reach a decision on Wednesday, according to party officials.

Kim and Tae, who both attended the meeting, could be disqualified from running in next year's parliamentary elections if the committee hands them one-year party membership suspensions or stronger disciplinary measures.

Rep. Jun Hoo-hyae, who serves as the deputy chair of the PPP ethics committee, told reporters gathered outside the party headquarters that both lawmakers "imperiled the party" with their comments.

Tae served as Pyongyang's deputy ambassador to London before he defected to Seoul in 2016. He was elected to represent Seoul's Gangnam A constituency at the National Assembly in 2020, then to a seat on the PPP's executive council at the party's national convention in March.

But the defector-turned-lawmaker was referred to the PPP's ethics committee for several controversial comments, including arguing that the 1948-49 Jeju April 3 Uprising, which was brutally suppressed by the South Korean government, was instigated on the orders of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung.

Tae also found himself in hot water after a transcript leaked of his remarks to aides regarding an alleged conversation with Lee Jin-bok, the senior presidential political affairs secretary.

According to the transcript, Tae claimed Lee asked him to make comments supporting President Yoon Suk Yeol's efforts to improve relations with Japan while raising the topic of party nominations for next year's parliamentary elections.

Tae has also been accused of accepting money from candidates running to become councilors of his constituency in Seoul's Gangnam District in return for endorsing their nominations.

The money was allegedly given to Tae via bank accounts belonging to the candidates' families and acquaintances.

In a post uploaded to his Facebook page the morning before the ethics committee meeting, Tae apologized for "adding to the party's burden and concerns" and for "attracting controversy at a time when the political spotlight should be on the president's achievements from his U.S. state visit and Korea-Japan summit."

However, he adamantly denied the allegations against him, vowing to "put everything on the line" to prove his innocence.

He also vowed to "contribute as much as possible to the success of our party and President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration."

Meanwhile, Kim is under scrutiny from the PPP's ethics committee for remarks seen as tarnishing the reputations of victims of the Jeju Uprising and the May 1980 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju.

Kim has also been accused of expressing support for Jun Kwang-hoon, an extreme right-wing Christian pastor who defied social distancing regulations and organized mass demonstrations calling for the removal of former president Moon Jae-in from office.

The PPP operates a four-tier disciplinary system. The lowest-level penalty is a simple warning, while the harshest punishments can entail a maximum 3-year membership suspension, a recommendation to leave the party or outright expulsion.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]