PPP ethics panel cuts Kwon Young-jin's suspension by 6 months, opening path to 2028 election

The People Power Party's central ethics committee on Wednesday reduced the membership suspension of two-term lawmaker Kwon Young-jin from 18 months to one year, cutting six months off a penalty imposed over what became known as the "floor leader collar-grab" incident. The shorter suspension opens the door for Kwon to seek the party's nomination in the 2028 general election.

The committee held a closed-door meeting at the party's Yeouido headquarters Wednesday morning and announced the decision after deliberating on Kwon's retrial request. "Having reviewed the retrial request, we found the petitioner's explanation and grounds for appeal to be valid, and accordingly rescinded the existing 18-month membership suspension and voted to impose a one-year suspension instead," the committee said.

Kwon was referred to the ethics committee after grabbing floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik by the collar during a dispute over committee assignments in the second half of the National Assembly session. After receiving the 18-month suspension, he filed for a retrial, asking the panel to reconsider both the procedural legitimacy of the disciplinary process and the appropriateness of the penalty.

In earlier media interviews, Kwon described the 18-month penalty as "a harsh punishment that strips away the very opportunity to apply for a nomination," adding that "the general assessment within the party is that it was retaliatory — because I spoke bluntly to party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and told him to take responsibility and step down."

Had the original 18-month suspension stood, Kwon would in effect have been barred from running as a PPP candidate in the 2028 general election. With the six-month reduction, he can now seek the party's nomination.

By contrast, Rep. Seo Beom-su, who received a 10-month membership suspension over remarks he made about a roundhouse-kick assault case, has opted to pursue a court ruling rather than a retrial. Seo had filed for a retrial with the ethics committee, but after the panel reached no conclusion at its Sept. 14 meeting, he withdrew the request two days later. He subsequently filed for an injunction to suspend the disciplinary measure and a full lawsuit in court.

The ethics committee also reviewed on Wednesday the disciplinary measures against lawmakers indicted under the insurrection special prosecutor and the comprehensive special prosecutor probes.

For Rep. Im Jong-deuk, who had been standing trial after being indicted under the insurrection special prosecutor, the committee rescinded his duty-suspension penalty, citing the dismissal of his indictment confirmed on Tuesday.

Regarding Rep. Yoon Han-hong, indicted under the comprehensive special prosecutor, the committee decided to suspend his duty-suspension penalty, ruling that "there are substantial grounds, including political persecution, to recognize that the prosecution's indictment was improper."

Under PPP party rules, a member indicted on charges of violating the law automatically loses eligibility to run in internal primary elections and apply for party candidacies. However, when substantial grounds such as political persecution are recognized, the party leader may rescind or suspend the disciplinary measure following a vote by the central ethics committee.