A progressive South Korean party said Thursday it has decided to oust two alleged pro-North Korean lawmakers and two other party members accused of being involved in an alleged rigged primary.
The move by the beleaguered Unified Progressive Party (UPP) comes amid efforts by conservative lawmakers to strip Reps. Lee Seok-gi and Kim Jae-yeon of their seats.
The four have faced weeks of pressure to voluntarily step down amid accusations that they were involved in the UPP's alleged rigging in selecting proportional representation candidates for the April parliamentary election.
"The four markedly violated their obligations to abide by the party's constitution and regulations and follow the party's instruction," the UPP's disciplinary committee said in a ruling after hours of discussions late Wednesday.
The committee also said the four are responsible for causing much disappointment to the party's supporters and people for not complying with the party's previous decision.
It referred to a set of reform measures adopted by the left-wing political party to try to reform itself following the primary fraud. The measures called for, among other things, the resignation of all those who ran in the rigged primary.
The four insisted that they be given a chance to tell their side of the story over the primary fraud after the party announces the results of its second probe into the scandal.
Last month, the party confirmed after an internal investigation that its primary had been rigged, but its mainstream faction, to which the four belong, has rejected the official probe.
Lee's office condemned the party's latest decision as "political killing" and said it will appeal the decision.
Lee and Kim, accused of having been pro-North Korean, would become independent lawmakers if expelled from their party.
Lee and Kim also have become the target of harsh attacks from conservatives, including some major newspapers, due to their past activities sympathizing with North Korea. They allegedly espoused the communist nation's guiding "juche" philosophy of self-reliance.
The conservative ruling Saenuri Party has pressed the main opposition Democratic United Party to cooperate in removing Lee and Kim from the National Assembly.
An ouster requires two-thirds approval from the 300-member National Assembly. The Saenuri Party and the DUP have 277 seats combined.
Ways to deal with North Korea are a political hot issue in South Korea.
South Korea remains technically at war with North Korea since their 1950-53 war ended in a cease fire. The North carried out two deadly attacks on the South in 2010, killing 50 soldiers and civilians. (Yonhap)