July 8. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The leader of the South Korean government party, the People’s Power Party (PPP), Lee Jun Seok, was dismissed this Friday from his position and from the organization’s militancy after being accused of covering up a sexual crime.
The PPP’s ethics committee has issued a verdict following a meeting nearly eight hours after Lee was accused by a YouTube channel, Hover Lab, of having received “paid sexual services” by a businessman seeking influence in 2012, according to The South Korean agency Yonhap has reported.
Lee, in addition, would have tried to hide the agreement with the businessman by offering the person who accused him more than 700 million won (530,900 euros).
The decision represents the biggest crisis yet for Lee, who took the reins of the party last year, helping the PPP win the presidential election in March and local nationwide elections in June under his watch, according to the said agency.
Since taking over as party leader, Lee has continually been at odds with key members of the organization considered close to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who have been collectively called ‘Yoonhaekgwan’ — an abbreviation for “senior associates.” of Yoon Suk-yeol”–.
After the cessation, the party is expected to choose a new leader, since Lee’s presidency did not end until June 2023. The PPP will then have to hold a national convention or form an “emergency collective leadership committee.”
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