Pro-Han faction raises pressure after Bae sanction halted

Mar 09, 2026, 08:23 am

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People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin attends a plenary meeting of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on March 6 and questions officials about measures to protect overseas Koreans amid the Middle East crisis. / Yonhap

Voices from the pro-Han Dong-hoon faction within the People Power Party (PPP) are growing louder after a court effectively nullified disciplinary action against lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin.

The Seoul Southern District Court recently granted Bae’s request for an injunction suspending the effect of a one-year suspension of party membership, weakening the party’s disciplinary decision. The ruling has emboldened pro-Han lawmakers, who are now intensifying pressure on the party leadership.

Calls for accountability have centered on Yoon Min-woo, chair of the party’s ethics committee, with demands for his resignation gaining traction. Critics have also urged PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk to issue an apology over the handling of the disciplinary process.

According to political sources on March 8, pro-Han lawmakers strongly criticized Yoon after the court ruling. The controversy deepened when senior PPP lawmaker Na Kyung-won publicly suggested replacing the ethics committee chair.

The party leadership, however, has refrained from escalating the dispute. Jang and other leaders said they “respect the court’s decision” and emphasized the need to focus on upcoming elections rather than prolonging internal conflict.

Earlier, seven incumbent PPP lawmakers and 26 current and former local party committee chairs issued a joint statement calling for Yoon’s resignation and an apology from Jang. They welcomed the court’s decision and argued that leadership accountability was necessary to restore the authority of the ethics committee and rebuild the party ahead of local elections.

Na also wrote on Facebook on March 7 that the leadership should replace Yoon, who had been appointed under Jang’s leadership, suggesting the court ruling raised questions about the ethics committee’s judgment.

Meanwhile, the ethics committee has yet to announce the outcome of a separate complaint filed by the party’s leadership against Bae and several pro-Han lawmakers who accompanied former party leader Han Dong-hoon during a visit to Daegu on March 3.

Political observers say the pro-Han faction may also face criticism, as they were in Daegu when a joint investigation team of prosecutors and police raided the PPP headquarters on Feb. 27. Since the leadership has repeatedly called for party unity, some analysts argue pro-Han lawmakers cannot entirely avoid responsibility.

However, with the court siding with Bae’s injunction request, the ruling is widely seen as a “signal for a counterattack” by the pro-Han faction. As a result, party leaders may find it difficult to pursue further disciplinary measures for the time being.

#Bae Hyun-jin #People Power Party #Han Dong-hoon faction #Jang Dong-hyuk