Kim Min-seok raised the issue in a private meeting after a Cheong Wa Dae dinner, citing views from inside and outside the party; In Yo-han has cleared an employment review and needs only presidential approval
Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok has asked President Lee Jae Myung to reconsider approving former People Power Party lawmaker In Yo-han as chairman of the Korean Red Cross, it emerged Wednesday.
Park Sung-jun, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, told reporters after a supreme council meeting held in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, that Kim had a private meeting with the president following a dinner between Lee and the Democratic Party leadership at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. "After gathering views from inside and outside the party, he advised that it would be better not to approve former lawmaker In as chairman of the Korean Red Cross," Park said.
In was elected as the next chairman of the Korean Red Cross at a central committee vote on June 22. The National Assembly's Public Officials Ethics Committee subsequently reviewed his eligibility for the post but failed to reach a conclusion. It cleared him for employment after a second review on Monday. With that hurdle cleared, In can take office as chairman once the president grants approval.
However, voices within the ruling camp have questioned whether In is a suitable choice, pointing in part to his absence from the National Assembly vote on the impeachment motion against then-President Yoon Suk Yeol following the emergency martial law crisis in December 2024.
Two days after his election as Red Cross chairman, In said he "regrets and reflects on" his failure to take active steps in opposition during the emergency martial law declaration.
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