People Power Party Calls Lee Administration's Cabinet Reshuffle a "Left-Wing Hodgepodge to Cancel Trials"

[Financial News] On the 31st, the People Power Party strongly criticized President Lee Jae Myung's formation of his second Cabinet, saying, "He said he would take care of the left, but this is a left-wing hodgepodge of pro-Moon Jae-in figures and even the Rebuilding Korea Party." The party particularly argued that Lee's decision to retain Kim Yong-beom, the policy chief at Cheong Wa Dae, showed no intention whatsoever of pursuing policy reform.
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk made the remarks at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, calling it "a Cabinet reshuffle running counter to public sentiment and directly against the will of the people."
Regarding the nomination of Kim Seung-won, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, as candidate for justice minister, he said Kim was "the person leading efforts to pass a special counsel bill to cancel indictments and delete the crime of breach of trust," adding, "It means he is all-in on canceling his own trial, even if the people oppose it."
Regarding Hong Ji-sun, the second vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, who was tapped as the new candidate for land minister, Jang said, "He is the main culprit behind the real estate tax bomb," adding, "He designed Lee Jae Myung's Basic Housing program when Lee was governor of Gyeonggi Province. Regardless of what happens to the people, they intend to push through policies that will turn real estate into hell."
Jang urged Ahn Gyu-back to "keep his promise to disclose his military service record after leaving office," saying, "Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back ultimately stepped down without resolving the allegations of desertion."
Chung Jeom-sik, the party's floor leader, gave his overall assessment of the second Cabinet reshuffle, saying, "Through this mid-scale Cabinet reshuffle, President Lee has declared that he will completely reject the policy reform the people want."
Chung criticized the reshuffle, saying, "What the people are demanding is that the government correct its misguided economic policies that have caused anxiety over stocks, real estate and prices; restore the country's wavering national security and the South Korea-U.S. alliance; and stop destroying the rule of law to cancel President Lee's trial." He added, "Yet Kim Yong-beom, the policy chief and the main culprit behind the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs, was retained, while the second vice minister of MOLIT, who served as head of the Urban Housing Office when Lee was governor of Gyeonggi Province, was rapidly promoted to minister after just nine months despite bearing responsibility for the failure of real estate policy."
He continued, "Given the current administration's style, dominated by President Lee's micromanaging approach to government, changing only part of the Cabinet while keeping the policy team intact means it has not the slightest intention of pursuing policy reform." He denounced the reshuffle as "an unqualified left-wing coalition Cabinet reshuffle aimed at boosting approval ratings and saving Lee Jae Myung, rather than reviving the people's livelihoods and the economy."
Chung emphasized, "The intention is to distribute positions to unqualified figures from the pro-Moon Jae-in camp, the Rebuilding Korea Party and the Basic Income Party, one seat each, in an effort to consolidate a broad ruling bloc–left-wing coalition," adding, "They will simply repeat the failures of the Moon Jae-in administration."
[email protected] Lee Hae-ram Reporter