Seoul: The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) announced on Thursday that it has expelled former party chief Han Dong-hoon due to his family's defamatory online posts about former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife on a party bulletin board.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the party's supreme council made this decision approximately two weeks after its ethics committee voted to remove Han, citing actions that allegedly tarnished the party's image. Han's family faced allegations of sharing derogatory remarks about Yoon, who was impeached after attempting to declare martial law in December 2024, and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, on the PPP's website.
Han, once a close ally of the ousted president, initially supported Yoon's impeachment following the failed martial law declaration and subsequently resigned as party leader. Although he has apologized for the controversial posts, Han described the ethics committee's expulsion decision as "manipulation" and "political retaliation."
The expulsion signifies the end of ongoing internal discord within the conservative party as it approaches the June local elections. Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok aims to consolidate support among conservative voters, striving to rebrand the party and repair its image, which was impacted by Yoon's martial law attempt.
Jang led the supreme council meeting, marking his return to duties following an eight-day hunger strike. He engaged in the hunger strike to demand a special counsel investigation into allegations involving the Unification Church and bribery associated with ruling party nominations.