Bae Hyun-jin files court challenge to party discipline

Feb 20, 2026, 05:40 pm

		0
Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party speaks to reporters after filing an injunction at the Seoul Southern District Court on Feb. 20 to suspend the effect of a one-year suspension of party membership. / Yonhap

Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party on Thursday filed for a court injunction to suspend the effect of a one-year party membership suspension imposed by the party’s Central Ethics Committee.

Speaking to reporters outside the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, Bae said, “I intend to correct this by relying on the rule of law.”

On Feb. 13, the party’s ethics panel handed Bae a one-year suspension, citing her unauthorized posting of a minor’s photograph on social media.

Bae, who is aligned with the faction close to former party leader Han Dong-hoon, argued that the disciplinary action was politically motivated.

“I stand here because I called for a clean break from the wrong of martial law and the Yoon Suk Yeol era, and urged the party to return to sound conservatism,” she said.

Referring to the recent court ruling on former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration, Bae added, “The court has clearly determined it to be an act of insurrection. The People Power Party must now face this fact head-on and stop evading it.”

She also criticized the current party leadership, saying it poses “the biggest risk factor” in upcoming elections, including the June 3 local polls. “Nearly 1,000 prospective candidates in Seoul alone have been preparing for the local elections. Through this injunction, I hope to correct the disciplinary measure and properly prepare for the elections together with my party colleagues,” she said.

Regarding the ethics committee’s finding on the social media post, Bae said she had expressed “remorse and apology” for what she described as an excessive reaction.

Asked why she did not pursue the party’s internal appeal process, Bae said time was of the essence ahead of the elections. “It would be meaningless to seek reconsideration from the same ethics committee that issued what I believe to be an unjust disciplinary action,” she said.

#ae Hyun-jin #People Power Party #party membership suspension #injunction