Seoul, Jan 14 (NationPress) A growing internal division within South Korea's principal opposition party, the People Power Party (PPP), has become increasingly apparent as of Wednesday. This follows the ethics committee's decision to expel former leader Han Dong-hoon due to accusations that his family made defamatory comments regarding former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The ethics committee revealed its verdict during a late-night session on Tuesday, declaring that Han would be expelled for actions considered “extremely damaging to the party” and for violating internal regulations that hinder the PPP's progress and adversely influence public sentiment.

Han's family is accused of posting derogatory remarks about Yoon, who was removed from office due to his unsuccessful martial law attempt, and his spouse, Kim Keon Hee, on the PPP's official website bulletin board.

This expulsion occurs as the current PPP leadership under Jang Dong-hyeok seeks to distance the beleaguered party from Yoon in light of the approaching local elections on June 3.

Disagreements among PPP lawmakers have emerged regarding the committee's decision, with supporters of Han denouncing the vote as politically driven, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

Representative Woo Jae-jun, a member of the party's youth supreme council, criticized the expulsion decision, asserting it has “no legitimacy” and labeling it as “retaliation” against Han for his support of Yoon's impeachment.

Han, who was once a close aide to Yoon, was among those within the party who opposed Yoon’s decree during the martial law incident and subsequently backed his impeachment.

In a brief post on his Facebook shortly after the announcement, Han stated he will “defend democracy together with the people.”

During a press conference, Han described the party's actions as “another” declaration of martial law, asserting his commitment to resist it “once again” alongside party members and the public.

“Another martial law has been declared that undermines the Constitution and democracy at a time when we must overcome the previous martial law and strive for unity,” Han stated, though he added that he has no plans to seek reconsideration of the decision.

Representative Song Seok-jun commented on Facebook, stating that “the decision marks the death of democracy within the party.”

Conversely, several party leaders defended the committee's decision.

“There was a broad consensus within the party that this issue had dragged on for too long and that we needed to reach a conclusion,” stated Representative Shin Dong-wook on a local radio show, calling for efforts to avert further escalation of the internal conflict, according to Yonhap.

In a local broadcaster's YouTube segment, Representative Kim Jae-won indicated that the decision signifies the conclusion of the “Yoon Suk Yeol era” and encouraged the party to “start fresh.”

PPP media representative Park Min-young also supported the committee's actions, emphasizing that “manipulation of public opinion is not democracy.”

The expulsion decision has sparked worries that the intensifying conflict may undermine the party's performance in the upcoming local elections and alienate conservative voters.

According to the ethics committee's four-tier disciplinary framework, which ranges from warnings to expulsion, Han is set to be expelled and will lose his party membership.

The committee noted that Han publicly acknowledged that he belatedly became aware of his family's involvement in the derogatory posts.

Han's expulsion is anticipated to be finalized at a supreme council meeting as soon as January 26.