Han Ji-hye, a Yeonsu-gu, Incheon councilor who was elected after receiving a nomination from the Democratic Party, left the party three days after the term began and now appears likely to be expelled.

The Ethics Tribunal of the Democratic Party Incheon Chapter said on the 9th that it held a meeting regarding Councilor Han leaving the party, confirmed that grounds for discipline corresponding to ‘expulsion’ exist, and resolved to adopt a written decision confirming the disciplinary grounds.

On the 3rd, Councilor Han applied to leave the party through the Democratic Party online system.

In the June 3 local elections, Councilor Han was nominated by the Democratic Party and won in the Songdo 2·5 district of Yeonsu-gu. However, she left the party three days after the term began, and members of the Democratic Party Yeonsu-eul branch called for expulsion, denouncing it as an ‘eat-and-run defection’.

In particular, the 10th Yeonsu-gu Council had a balance of seven seats each for the Democratic Party and the People Power Party. However, after Councilor Han left the party on the 3rd, it was reorganized to People Power Party 7 seats, Democratic Party 6 seats, and one independent.

As a result, in the Yeonsu-gu Council chair election held on the 6th, Lee Sang-gon of the People Power Party was elected chair, and party colleague Jeong Min-gyun was elected vice chair. Among the three standing committees of the Yeonsu-gu Council, the Planning and Welfare Committee chair and the Autonomy and Urban Committee chair will be elected on the 10th, and the Operations Committee chair on the 15th.

Han is said to have left citing internal discord. The Kyunghyang Shinmun made multiple attempts to contact Han to ask the reason for leaving, but she did not answer.

The Ethics Tribunal of the Democratic Party said, “The act of Councilor Han leaving the party a mere three days after the term began, having been elected through the Democratic Party nomination, is a grave act detrimental to the party that severely damaged the trust of members and voters,” and added, “In particular, strong suspicion has also been raised that she may have acted intentionally after being promised certain political benefits or a position by the opposing party.”

The Ethics Tribunal of the Democratic Party Incheon Chapter plans to officially notify the City Chapter Membership Qualification Review Committee of the matter in accordance with party rules.

This step is a procedure to ensure that, if Councilor Han applies to rejoin in the future, the grounds for this discipline can be strictly reflected during the membership qualification review.