People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyeon [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyeon [Yonhap]

People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyeon called on the party leadership led by Jang Dong-hyeok on Friday to embrace unity over exclusion. "What we need is not exclusion but harmony, not hardline stances but inclusion," he said.

Yoon posted the message on his Facebook page in response to the party ethics committee's decision Thursday to suspend the party membership of four lawmakers — Jo Kyung-tae, Kwon Young-jin, Seo Beom-su and Jin Jong-oh. "Upon hearing that these four members had been handed the heavy punishment of a membership suspension, I write this post with a heavy heart as someone who has watched over this party for a long time," he said.

He urged party leader Jang and the leadership to "reconsider the heavy disciplinary measures within the bounds of common sense" and to "pursue a path of renewal that fosters unity within the party and gives the public renewed hope."

Yoon said President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating had fallen to its lowest point since taking office, weighed down by real estate issues, economic anxiety and controversy over a constitutional amendment to allow a second consecutive term. "Normally, a drop in the ruling party's approval rating should be an opportunity for the main opposition party — but our party has failed to capitalize on that opportunity," he said.

He said the party needed to take a hard look at why this was happening, noting that observers inside and outside the party, as well as the media, had cited the leadership's uncompromising approach and persistent internal strife as the causes.

He added that the party had shown limited ability to broaden its appeal, including to moderate voters. "Look at the four members facing discipline this time," he said. "It is no coincidence that all of them are classified as being outside the party's ruling faction — people who have called for renewal and change and have, directly or indirectly, clashed with the Jang leadership."

Yoon characterized the ethics committee's decision as "discipline politics." "It is not unreasonable that concerns are being raised, both inside and outside the party, that this heavy punishment marks the beginning of discipline politics aimed at eliminating political rivals," he said.

While acknowledging that the ethics committee was within its rights to act in accordance with the party's constitution and rules, he said the timing was the problem. "I hope the leadership will also reflect seriously on whether handing down such a heavy punishment — membership suspension — simultaneously to multiple members at this particular moment meets the public's expectations," Yoon said.

"The opponents we should be fighting are not within our own party," he added. "There are mountains of pressing issues to address — people's livelihoods, the economy, the ruling party's governance. Are we not burning all our energy on internal conflict?"

Yoon called on party members to "sheathe the blades aimed at one another and return to the true purpose of politics — fixing people's livelihoods and the state of governance."


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