PPP lawmakers clash over use of word 'unrest' in party group chat

A word choice dispute has erupted inside the People Power Party over the use of the term "unrest" in connection with ballot shortages and protests at polling stations during the June 3 local elections.

PPP lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin posted on Facebook on Friday, calling out party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and fellow lawmakers Kim Eun-hye, Joo Jin-woo and Kim Mi-ae — whom she described as pro-leadership figures from Busan and Gyeonggi Province — for "raising their voices with great interest." She also published screenshots of a group chat shared by 106 party members, saying the ballot shortage crisis "cannot serve as an eraser for the Jang Dong-hyeok leadership's crushing defeat in the local elections."

The screenshots show that around 10 a.m. Friday, Bae wrote in the chat that ballot-counting procedures were proceeding with observers present and urged members not to provoke further "unrest."

Rep. Kim Eun-hye responded with "Excuse me? Unrest?", signaling that she found the word inappropriate. Bae replied that she had used it simply to urge careful attention until the end so that no unrest would occur.

At the time, protesters at Polling Station No. 2 in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, had raised allegations of election fraud over the ballot shortage and attempted to block the removal of ballot boxes, confronting police. Officers ultimately secured the boxes and transported them to the counting center.

Rep. Kim Mi-ae told Bae that monitoring to ensure procedural legitimacy and protecting citizens was a natural duty for lawmakers. Floor leader Song Eon-seog also weighed in, asking whether any unrest had actually occurred.

As the criticism continued, Bae clarified that her intent had been to urge caution so that unrest would not break out.

Rep. Jeong Seong-guk defended Bae, saying members should look at the full context rather than fixate on a single word.

Rep. Kim Mi-ae pushed back, arguing that the word "unrest" carried a negative presumption about fellow lawmakers and citizens. She also posted the dictionary definition of the term — acts of violence or destruction that disturb public order.

Bae told Kim Mi-ae to stop and said the point was to avoid situations in which police and citizens clash or citizens are provoked into conflict with one another.

After the exchange became public and a media outlet reported on it, Bae posted the chat screenshots herself, writing that "some lawmaker leaked just enough of the conversation for agitation purposes, producing a tabloid-style article."

Meanwhile, PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok, who visited the counting center on Friday, voiced frustration with the National Election Commission, saying that a considerable amount of time had passed since his arrival but that he had been unable to enter the facility and no NEC official had offered any explanation.

He added that he would move to the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission to assess the situation in detail and would "fight hard" with the NEC to halt the count.

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Freedom and Innovation Party, and PPP lawmakers Kim Eun-hye and Joo Jin-woo also joined Jang at the scene, calling for entry into the counting center.