Progressive party extends ultimatum for lawmakers-elect

The interim head of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party (UPP) indicated Wednesday he will expel two lawmakers-elect and 12 other candidates for the party's proportional representation seats unless they submit their resignations by Friday.

Kang Ki-kab, the chairman of the left-wing party's reformist emergency committee, said the party won't have an opportunity to reform itself if the 14 don't submit their resignations by Friday noon.

He said the party will choose its "last resort" if the resignations are not tendered, referring to expelling the 14 from the party over a rigged primary ahead of the April parliamentary elections.

Last week, the emergency committee issued an ultimatum to Lee Seok-gi and Kim Jae-yeon, the two lawmakers-elect, and the others accused of being involved in the rigged primary to step down by Monday morning.

Lee and Kim Jae-yeon were both convicted of engaging in pro-North Korean activities in the past, and have allegedly espoused North Korea's guiding "juche" philosophy of self-reliance and belong to the party's mainstream faction.

Lee and Kim would become independent lawmakers-elect if they are expelled from their party.

A previous ultimatum passed without any action as party officials were caught up in a violent standoff with prosecution officials to prevent a raid on the party headquarters in southeastern Seoul.

On Tuesday, prosecutors seized the UPP's three computer servers as part of their efforts to look into the allegations of the rigged primary.

The party will explore every legal action against what it claims is political oppression by prosecutors, and seek cooperation from other opposition parties and civic groups, said Lee Jeong-mi, a spokeswoman of the emergency committee.

Six of the 14 candidates were elected as UPP lawmakers under the proportional representation system, which allocates seats to parties according to the numbers of votes they receive.

Meanwhile, Yim Tae-hee, one of the presidential hopefuls of the ruling Saenuri Party, called for parliamentary regulations to suspend the rights and duties of the lawmakers-elect in question.

Yim, who served as a chief of staff to President Lee Myung-bak, said the National Assembly should take the action as soon as the legislature opens its four-year term on May 30. (Yonhap)