Democratic Party files ethics complaint against PPP lawmaker over May 18 forum, eyes suspension bill

The Democratic Party of Korea on Friday submitted a disciplinary motion to the National Assembly against People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-suk, who hosted a forum inside the Assembly alongside right-wing groups that the party says denigrated the May 18 pro-democracy movement.

The motion, filed under the names of more than 20 lawmakers including floor operations chief Rep. Cheon Jun-ho, calls for strict punishment under the National Assembly Act, alleging that Lee used the forum to disparage the May 18 movement and undermine the spirit of the Constitution.

Ahn Do-geol, who chairs the Democratic Party's South Jeolla-Gwangju integrated special city chapter, told reporters after submitting the motion that the forum amounted to "a grave provocation that fundamentally challenges the spirit of our Constitution and the May 18 pro-democracy movement, and constitutes clear secondary harm against the victims and their bereaved families."

Disciplinary action against a sitting lawmaker is decided by the Special Ethics Committee after it receives recommendations from an ethics advisory panel. Penalties fall into four tiers — from expulsion, the most severe, down to a suspension of up to 90 days, a public apology before a plenary session, and a formal warning before a plenary session.

However, the 22nd National Assembly's Special Ethics Committee has yet to be formed. Floor leader Han Byung-do said Thursday that once the committee is constituted, the party would "immediately refer Rep. Lee Jin-suk's expulsion motion for review and put it to a plenary vote," signaling a hard-line stance on stripping her of her seat.

Separately from the ethics committee process, the Democratic Party is also pursuing legislation to suspend Lee's duties. The party plans to fast-track a National Assembly Act amendment recently introduced by Rep. Lee Yong-woo that would allow the suspension of a lawmaker's duties for up to one year if they distort or denigrate the May 18 pro-democracy movement or similar events.

Party leader Kim Min-seok said Thursday that if the two-thirds majority of all Assembly members required for expulsion under current ethics rules proved unrealistic, the party would pursue a suspension of qualifications passable by a simple majority of the full Assembly, signaling a multi-pronged pressure campaign.