People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik visits the Federation of Korean Trade Unions in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on June 19.
People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik visits the Federation of Korean Trade Unions in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on June 19.

The People Power Party called for the dismissal of Kim Yong-beom, chief of the Cheong Wa Dae Policy Office, accusing him of pushing for higher property holding and capital gains taxes immediately after the local elections.

Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik wrote on Facebook on Sunday that "what the Lee Jae Myung government needs now is a personnel overhaul to shift the direction of state affairs," adding that Kim should be the first to go. "He has repeatedly made reckless remarks — claiming that high interest rates, a high exchange rate and high inflation are 'the price of success' — and has now sown confusion among the public by signaling hikes to property holding and capital gains taxes the moment the election was over," Jeong wrote.

Jeong also called for a full shake-up of the economic policy team, including Senior Secretary for Economic Growth Ha Jun-gyeong, whom he described as having "no presence whatsoever." He further demanded the dismissal of Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young, saying the minister had "caused confusion over national identity" by advocating a North Korean-style "two-state theory" and pushing to remove language designating North Korea as the principal enemy.

Jeong also took aim at the Cheong Wa Dae senior secretary-level reshuffle announced that day, dismissing it as "nothing more than a scene-changing reshuffle to divert public attention" rather than the personnel change the opposition had called for to reorient government policy. "If the Lee Jae Myung government continues with cosmetic reshuffles aimed at reinforcing its existing policy direction, public trust in the administration will only continue to fall," he said.

Chief spokesperson Choi Bo-yun echoed the criticism in a separate statement, saying Kim had "insisted that a 'rational adjustment of property holding and capital gains taxes' was needed to prevent national wealth generated by the semiconductor boom from being absorbed into real estate windfall profits." She said the core message was that Kim had revealed his true intention to raise taxes "now that the election is over."

Choi added that while the president had bowed his head and apologized to the public after the local elections, "the policy chief who is supposed to support the president still does not grasp how fearsome public sentiment is, and keeps posting lengthy unsolicited advice on social media." She called on Kim to "put down his smartphone immediately, take responsibility for his policy failures and arrogant remarks, and resign at once."


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