▲ The former chairman of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), Lee Jun-seok, talks to reporters, in this file photo taken Aug. 17, 2022. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) court-ruling party

(LEAD) Court suspends PPP's emergency committee chairman, de facto siding with ex-chief

(ATTN: UPDATES with PPP's response in last 2 paras)

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court ruled in favor of the ruling People Power Party's ousted chairman, Lee Jun-seok, and suspended the party's emergency leadership committee chairman Friday, throwing the party into leadership confusion again just 10 days after the interim leadership took off.

The PPP launched the emergency committee last week after breaking up the previous leadership led by the Supreme Council in a decision that automatically removed Lee from office. Five-time Rep. Joo Ho-young took over the party as chairman of the emergency committee.

Protesting the transition, Lee filed for an injunction with the Seoul Southern District Court, citing what he called a "procedural error" with the leadership switch, and a separate lawsuit seeking to nullify the validity of the party's emergency committee.

On Friday, the court ruled in favor of Lee in the injunction suit and ordered that Joo's duties be suspended until there comes a decision in the main lawsuit. Unless Joo is suspended, the court said, Lee could suffer irrevocable damage because Joo can call a national convention to elect a new leader.

Under the party charter, the PPP can switch to the emergency committee leadership when the party's Supreme Council is disabled or in other emergency situations. But the court ruled Friday that the PPP's situation was not considered an emergency warranting such a transition.

Lee's party membership was suspended last month by the PPP's ethics committee over allegations of sexual bribery and a cover-up, though he has claimed he is innocent.

The PPP protested the court's decision, saying it will swiftly decide whether to file an appeal.

"The Seoul Southern District Court's decision to accept the injunction request is an excessive violation of a political party's autonomous and internal decision-making," PPP spokesperson Park Hyeung-soo said in a statement.

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