PPP Demands Discipline for Kwon Young-jin's Collar Grab…Unrelenting Turmoil Over Committee Assignments

Discussions regarding disciplinary action are intensifying within the People Power Party (PPP) after Rep. Kwon Young-jin committed an act of violence, grabbing floor leader Jeong Jin-seok by the collar out of dissatisfaction with his committee assignment. The incident began on July 23, 2026, when the party's floor leadership announced the results of the committee assignments. Rep. Kwon, protesting his assignment as a senior member of the Public Administration and Security Committee instead of his desired Intelligence Committee, grabbed floor leader Jeong by the collar, and former floor leader Jeong Cheol-gi was also caught up in the altercation. Rep. Kang Min-kook, who was assigned to the Planning and Finance Committee, also protested the results and used profanity against Vice Executive Floor Leader Kim Seung-su.

Immediately following the incident, voices calling for discipline and criticism emerged from within the party. Secretary-General Hee-yong Jeong pointed out during a meeting on July 24, 2026, that protests must be distinguished from physical actions, and violence cannot be justified. Chief Spokesman Park Sung-hoon stated that there is a consensus that protests and physical actions must be separated, and the matter cannot be settled with a mere apology. The floor leadership team and the secretariat requested that Rep. Kwon face grave responsibility and be referred to the Ethics Committee.

Floor Leader Jeong Jin-seok took measures to manage the situation, attending only the scheduled visit to the Seoul National Cemetery on July 24, 2026, and skipping the party's response meeting. Rep. Kwon expressed his position that he deeply regrets his actions and offered an apology, subsequently withdrawing his bid to run for chairman of the Daegu party chapter.