Why did the PPP ethics committee suspend the membership rights of four lawmakers?

The committee punished the four for separate acts of party discipline, including alleged interference in an Assembly leadership vote, a physical clash during committee assignment disputes, backing an independent candidate against the party line, and an inappropriate remark before a meeting tied to an assault case.

Which PPP lawmakers were suspended, and for how long?

Rep. Cho Kyung-tae was suspended for two and a half years. Reps. Jin Jong-oh, Kwon Young-jin and Suh Bum-soo were suspended for two years, one and a half years and six months, respectively.

How does the PPP suspension affect the lawmakers' chances in the 2028 general elections?

Cho, Jin and Kwon are effectively barred from seeking reelection in April 2028 because they cannot run on the PPP ticket. The text says that without the party nomination, they are essentially blocked from running.

PPP ethics committee suspends membership rights of 4 lawmakers

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Summary

The main opposition People Power Party suspended the membership rights of four incumbent lawmakers on Thursday, effectively barring three of them from running in the 2028 general elections. The ethics committee suspended Rep. Cho Kyung-tae for two and a half years, and Reps. Jin Jong-oh, Kwon Young-jin and Suh Bum-soo for two years, one and a half years and six months, respectively. Cho, Jin and Kwon are effectively barred from seeking reelection in April 2028. The four are known to be at odds with PPP leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok.

Key Facts

Cho Kyung-tae was accused of making phone calls to lawmakers from other parties to try to block Rep. Park Duk-hyum from being elected deputy speaker of the National Assembly.
Kwon Young-jin was accused of grabbing PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig by the collar while protesting parliamentary committee assignments last month.
Jin Jong-oh was punished for supporting independent candidate Han Dong-hoon in a campaign for a parliamentary seat in Busan ahead of the June 3 local elections, despite the PPP fielding its own candidate.
Suh Bum-soo was punished after telling Jin to do a spin kick ahead of a meeting with a female victim in a high-profile assault case.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 20, 2026 10:06 pm KST
Updated Aug 20, 2026 10:25 pm KST

From left, Reps. Cho Kyung-tae, Kwon Young-jin, Suh Bum-soo and Jin Jong-oh of the main opposition People Power Party / Yonhap

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday decided to suspend the membership rights of four incumbent lawmakers, effectively barring three of them from running in the 2028 general elections.

The PPP's ethics committee handed down the disciplinary measures, suspending Rep. Cho Kyung-tae's party membership rights for two and a half years. Reps. Jin Jong-oh, Kwon Young-jin and Suh Bum-soo had their rights suspended for two years, one and a half years and six months, respectively.

Without being able to run on the PPP ticket, Cho, Jin and Kwon are essentially barred from seeking reelection in April 2028.

All four are known to be at odds with PPP leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok.

Cho was accused of making phone calls to lawmakers from other parties in an attempt to prevent Rep. Park Duk-hyum of the PPP from being elected deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

Kwon was separately accused of grabbing PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig by the collar while protesting parliamentary committee assignments last month.

Meanwhile, Jin was punished for supporting independent candidate Han Dong-hoon in his campaign for a parliamentary seat in the southeastern city of Busan ahead of the June 3 local elections, despite the PPP running its own candidate in the district.

Suh was punished after he told Jin to do a "spin kick" ahead of a meeting with a female victim in a high-profile assault case in which a man hit her with a spinning kick.

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