Ruling Party Civil War: Choi Min-hee Expulsion Triggered Probe of Kim Min-seok
The confrontation between the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction and the pro-Jung Chung-rae faction within the Democratic Party of Korea escalated into an all-out war on the 13th, triggered by party leader Kim Min-seok's order for an ethics audit of Supreme Council member Choi Min-hee. The controversy arose after it was revealed that Choi referred to photo and video journalists as a "pack of hyenas" in a group chat room on the 11th, and reports emerged that she suggested at a private members' meeting that President Lee Jae-myung had opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol while serving as party leader.
The pro-Jung faction went beyond simply opposing the audit order. Choi held a solo press conference at 9:30 a.m. that day to explain her remarks and apologized via Facebook. She then joined Supreme Council members Lee Sung-yoon and Han Min-su for a joint press conference, where they questioned not only the audit order but also the handling of the investigation into Shincheonji-related suspicions, the lukewarm stance on the impeachment push against Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, and disagreements between the party and government over the comprehensive real estate tax reform, arguing that "the proper subject of an ethics audit right now is Representative Kim." They claimed Kim "raised and amplified suspicions of 'anti-factionalism, division, and Shincheonji' ties on his own initiative, without anyone asking him to, throwing the party into confusion and crisis and splitting its members in half," arguing that reform was needed. The pro-Jung faction pulled out its "reform flag" earlier than the party leader's 100th day in office on the 24th, when it had said it would unveil it. Former party leader Jung Chung-rae had also mentioned in a YouTube broadcast late last month that he was "thinking about what flag to raise" after the leader's first 100 days.
The pro-Lee faction fought back. Supreme Council member Park Sun-won stressed at the council meeting that "no member of the party leadership should be allowed to make disparaging remarks about President Lee Jae-myung's leading role in the impeachment," and told Choi: "Apologize when you must. Otherwise, what is that but anti-factional, divisive behavior?" Supreme Council member Jeon Yong-gi urged the pro-Jung council members to exercise restraint, asking, "Must you display such divisive behavior?" Chief spokesperson Park Sung-jun told reporters after the meeting, "Has there ever been a time in the Democratic Party's history when Supreme Council members failed to attend the Supreme Council session?" criticizing it as "a highly inappropriate collective action that divides the party." Regarding claims that the audit order was unfair, he added, "The party also sees this as a serious matter, which is why it instructed the ethics audit team to investigate," saying it was simply a matter of waiting for the probe's outcome. Cheon Jun-ho, the floor operations senior deputy leader, also classified as pro-Lee, bolstered the case for the audit on the party's official YouTube channel, saying, "The party needs to respond resolutely."
Demands for expulsion also emerged. The pro-Lee hardline group Democratic Party Nationwide Innovation Council issued a statement urging Choi's expulsion, saying, "Supreme Council member Choi's remarks cannot be settled with mere explanation and apology."
As the conflict expands into issues of expulsion and audits, if this confrontation turns into open factional warfare, it is expected to place a considerable burden on the party's operations as a whole.
