On the 25th, the Ethics Committee of the Central Party of the People’s Power initiated disciplinary procedures once morest Yongsan-gu Park Hee-young in connection with the Itaewon Halloween disaster.
Right following the Ethics Committee meeting held at the National Assembly headquarters that day, Lee Yang-hee, chairman of the Ethics Committee, said, “Chief Park initiated a disciplinary procedure to review whether he violated the maintenance of dignity by causing social controversy with inappropriate words and actions.” ”he said. The Ethics Committee plans to decide whether or not to take disciplinary action and the level of disciplinary action following going through the process of explaining himself to the Ethics Committee by Mayor Park in the near future. Even if the party’s ethics committee issues heavy punishment, such as expulsion, the election of Mayor Park, an elected public official, will not be nullified unless he voluntarily resigns.
Chairman Lee explained that he was not deliberating whether there was a problem with the job in the process of responding to the disaster by Mayor Park. Previously, immediately following the Itaewon disaster, Mayor Park said, “Halloween is not a festival, but a phenomenon,” and controversy arose over suspicions of false explanations regarding the whereregardings on the day of the disaster.
On the same day, the Ethics Committee said, “There is no such agenda at all” regarding whether to review additional disciplinary measures once morest former CEO Lee Jun-seok. Please stop immediately,” he dismissed.
The Ethics Committee did not accept the request for a retrial by Kim Cheol-geun, the former head of the political affairs office, on the same day. Former chief Kim, a close aide to former CEO Lee, was implicated in the suspicion of destroying evidence of sexual favors and received a two-year suspension of party membership, but was acquitted by the police. Chairman Lee explained, “The reason for the decision to not send the police was dismissed because it had nothing to do with the reason for the disciplinary action of the People’s Power Ethics Committee.”
Reporter Kang Kyung-seok coolup@donga.com
