UPP teeters over expulsion

By Lee Tae-hoon

The minor opposition Unified Progressive Party (UPP) faced a stumbling block Monday over its move to expel two defiant lawmakers.

The UPP was scheduled to hold a general meeting of lawmakers to determine the fate of Reps. Lee Seok-ki and Kim Jae-yeon, who have been under pressure to leave the party over their involvement in a rigged proportional representation ballot.

The left-leaning party attempted put a motion to unseat the troubled lawmakers to a vote, but failed to do so in the face of opposition from the supporters of radical ideologists.

Rep. Lee and Kim, who have also been under fire for being pro-North sympathizers, still enjoy strong support from party members considered far-left leaning and belonging to the party’s former main faction that refuses to accept reform.

Only seven of the UPP’s lawmakers, including Sim Sang-jeong, Roh Hoe-chan and Park Won-suk, attended the general meeting, while six of those belonging to the former main faction boycotted it.

Many forecast that it would be most likely that UPP lawmakers pass the motion as only six of its lawmakers expressed skepticism about supporting new party chairman Kang Ki-kab’s drive to expel the two legislators for their part in the fraudulent voting during the April parliamentary elections.

Five lawmakers expressed support for Kang’s move, while the remaining two stayed neutral.

Their prediction proved to be wrong as one of the two neutral lawmakers refused to hold a vote unless all of the UPP’s participate in the general meeting, according to party insiders.

Many believed that the two legislators, who had remained neutral over the issue, would likely cast votes in favor of the new leadership to oust Lee and Kim.

Under the National Assembly Law, the majority of the party’s legislators must agree to pass a resolution to expel fellow lawmakers from their party.

Meanwhile, UPP lawmaker Lee Sang-kyu put the party in a more precarious predicament by demanding that it deal with the issue at a meeting of the Party Central Committee by determining the date for the committee though further discussion.

“I have proposed that the party delay the meeting for the sake of strengthening the party’s internal solidarity,” he said.

Members of the UPP’s former mainstreamers are known to have a stronger influence in the Central Committee compared to its new main faction, headed by Kang.

The UPP was engulfed in turmoil over allegations that its primary vote, conducted in March to select proportional representation candidates for the April 11 parliamentary elections, was rigged by the mainstream of the party, including Lee and Kim.

The UPP decided in June to deprive Lee and Kim of their party membership due to the vote rigging.

If the left-leaning party expels them, they will become independent lawmakers, but some of their supporters warned that they will seek a way to restore the two lawmakers’ party membership if that happens.

Both the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition Democratic United Party are in support of UPP’s leadership’s move to oust Lee and Kim.

The DUP had maintained an alliance with the minor opposition party before public sentiment worsened over the progressive lawmakers rigging. But the two opposition parties are moving to recover the alliance to fortify their clout ahead of the forthcoming presidential election on Dec. 19.

They have been pressed to come up with a single candidate on behalf of the opposition camp to compete with Rep. Park Geun-hye, the frontrunner presidential candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party.