ED Party head faces penalties
Alleged sexual bribery case must be dealt with strictly
The ethics committee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) decided last week to seek disciplinary action against Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the soon-to-be ruling party, over allegations that he accepted sexual favors via a businessperson in 2013. Lee, 37, is also facing allegations that he tried to destroy evidence related to the alleged sexual bribery case.
Lee is the first chairman in the history of the country's conservative bloc to be referred to the ethics committee while in office. The committee will decide whether to take disciplinary action after hearing an explanation from him. Lee has consistently denied the allegations, saying they are “completely false.”
There are four types of disciplinary actions ― expulsion, recommendation to resign from the party, suspension of party membership and a warning. It's too early to forecast how the ethics committee will decide, but Lee risks losing his hard-won chairmanship.
The allegations are that Lee sent an aide to the person accusing him of sexual bribery to obtain a statement that the claims were false. But Lee says it was the whistleblower who reached out first to offer to correct the record. Needless to say, Lee should hold himself responsible legally and politically should the allegations prove true.
What's notable is that the PPP's decision to launch a process for disciplinary action coincides with a full-blown police investigation into the allegations. Rumors are circulating that this case might be used as a tool to further power struggles within the PPP. In the run-up to the March 9 presidential election, Lee had been under fire for confronting President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, then the PPP's presidential candidate. So the launch of disciplinary action against the party head might be a ploy aimed at ousting Lee and strengthening Yoon's grip on the PPP. It's not right to deliver just a slap on the wrist to Lee merely because he is the party chief. This case must be dealt with strictly based on truth and without any political considerations.