PPP approves expulsion of Han Dong-hoon

Jan 29, 2026, 10:43 am

		0
Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon leaves a press briefing at the National Assembly on Jan. 14 after stating his position on the party ethics committee’s decision to expel him. /Lee Byung-hwa

The People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday approved the expulsion of former leader Han Dong-hoon over the so-called “party members’ bulletin board” incident, with the party’s top leadership sharply divided over the decision.

According to party officials, the expulsion motion was approved by a vote of seven in favor, one against and one abstention among nine voting members.

Choi Bo-yoon, the PPP’s chief spokesperson, told reporters after a Supreme Council meeting that the disciplinary action against Han was approved in line with the decision of the party’s ethics committee. She said nine figures—including the party leader, floor leader, policy chief and Supreme Council members—participated in the vote, adding that details of individual votes were not disclosed.

Choi also said disciplinary issues related to former Supreme Council member Kim Jong-hyuk were not discussed at the meeting.

Supreme Council member Cho Kwang-han later said the sole vote against the expulsion came from Woo Jae-joon, the party’s youth representative. Woo raised his hand when asked whether anyone opposed the motion, Cho said, adding that no hands were raised when abstentions were called.

Yang Hyang-ja, a Supreme Council member who neither supported nor opposed the motion, said she had informed colleagues in advance that the decision placed lawmakers in an untenable position. “In effect, I abstained by neither supporting nor opposing,” she said, noting that there was no formal show of hands for abstentions.

Debate within the Supreme Council ahead of the vote underscored deep divisions. Kim Min-soo, a Supreme Council member, said the case should not be viewed as a matter centered on Han personally but on the alleged misconduct itself. “If today’s decision is wrong, it sends the message that such actions will not be held accountable in the future,” he said, arguing that penalties should not vary depending on who committed the act.

By contrast, Woo argued that expelling Han amounted to retaliation for his support of impeachment. “If we expel someone for backing impeachment while apologizing to the public over martial law, how will our party be seen?” he said, urging the party not to repeat what he called another misguided decision.

Separately, the PPP announced that lawmaker Choi Soo-jin had been appointed as the party’s new district chair for Seongdong-eul, filling a vacant post.

#People Power Party #Han Dong-hoon #expulsion #party ethics committee