Cho Kyung-tae calls urging defeat of Assembly deputy speaker 'political act,' defends himself

People Power Party lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae defended himself Wednesday over the controversy surrounding his calls for voters to defeat National Assembly Deputy Speaker Park Deok-heum, saying the conduct was "a political act, broadly speaking."

Speaking on KBS Radio's "Jeongyeok Sisa," Cho said it was entirely reasonable to convey to lawmakers of the opposing party "the will and thinking of civic groups that want to uphold the values of democracy and the Constitution," characterizing his actions as political in nature.

Cho drew a comparison to last year's presidential election, when the People Power Party attempted to swap its candidate, saying the incident was open to different interpretations. "The attempt to replace candidate Kim Moon-soo with candidate Han Duck-soo last year was a far more serious incident with far greater repercussions," he said. "Even though the party's audit committee recommended a heavy disciplinary measure — a three-year suspension of party membership — the ethics committee dismissed it on the grounds that there was no personal gain involved."

He then turned the argument around. "By that standard, did Cho Kyung-tae have any personal gain?" he said. "Did the deputy speakership change from Park Deok-heum to Cho Kyung-tae?"

Cho said he would nonetheless accept whatever ruling the party's central ethics committee handed down at its meeting Tuesday. "Whatever decision it reaches, I plan to accept it calmly," he said.

He also said he believed the public would agree that "those who sided with the insurrection must never be allowed to hold key posts in the National Assembly," and added that if the party leadership imposed excessive punishment despite understanding the true intent behind his actions, "the people will hold the People Power Party leadership accountable."

Cho also called for the expulsion of fellow lawmaker Lee Jin-sook, who has drawn criticism for hosting a forum on the May 18 pro-democracy uprising. "She gathered far-right figures and people connected to the Dec. 12 military revolt and the May 18 incident and held a forum," he said. "It was Rep. Lee herself who set the stage for a far-right talk fest inside the National Assembly, the last bastion of democracy in this country."

He dismissed Lee's defense that she had no involvement in the forum's content. "That excuse is like saying you were drinking but didn't drive drunk — it's sophistry," he said. "I think she is unfit to serve as a lawmaker, to say nothing of deserving expulsion from the party."

On discussions about replacing local party chapter heads — a move associated with party leader Jang Dong-hyeok's push to consolidate leadership — Cho said a wholesale replacement was "realistically impossible." He added that a true reform must begin with "a declaration to break with forces calling for Yoon's return and those claiming the election was rigged."