Han says 'more Democratic Party oppas to come'

PPP leadership calls cabinet picks 'a worsening disaster'

Party also urges decision on Strait of Hormuz deployment

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon answers reporters' questions as he enters the National Assembly plenary session Monday. [Yonhap]
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon answers reporters' questions as he enters the National Assembly plenary session Monday. [Yonhap]

The opposition has been ratcheting up its attacks over the government's second cabinet reshuffle. Not only the People Power Party but also independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has been leveling daily criticism at justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won and gender equality minister nominee Yong Hye-in. The opposition also urged the government to reach a swift decision on deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz.

Han published text message records from broker Yang Su-jin on Facebook Monday, using them to highlight allegations that Kim had lobbied for a clinical trial of a new drug. "Lee Jae Myung and the Democratic Party of Korea have decided to dismiss Yang Su-jin's oppa poison-lobbying as a 'public interest' complaint," Han said. "I ask the public to look at the following text messages and judge for themselves whether this was truly a 'public interest' complaint or a fraud carried out by mobilizing Democratic Party oppas."

Han went on to say that "more Democratic Party oppas beyond Seung-won oppa are yet to come," adding that Yang's text messages mention not only nominee Kim but also "Rep. Choi," "Rep. Kim," and "Rep. Song Young-gil, who criticized me by calling Yang Su-jin's lobbying a 'good public complaint.'" He said the affair amounted to a "Democratic Party oppas gate."

Han has been zeroing in on Kim in recent days. On Sunday, he claimed that "it seems as though Yang Su-jin or nominee Kim's side is trying to make the media believe there were only two lobbying texts — that is a lie," alleging that "on Oct. 12, 2021 alone, there were blatantly illegal phone calls between nominee Kim, Yang Su-jin and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Commissioner Kim Gang-lip before the lobbying texts were even exchanged."

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Monday. [Yonhap]
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Monday. [Yonhap]

The PPP leadership joined in. Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok criticized Kim at a supreme council meeting Monday, saying "the shameful 'oppa bribery' case has been laid bare in broad daylight" and that "a drug that caused laboratory rats to vomit blood and die nearly made it to market as a COVID-19 treatment."

On nominee Yong, Jang said, "It speaks volumes that even members of progressive youth parties have taken to the streets in protest," calling her appointment "a deployment of the Lee Jae Myung administration's left-wing policy shock troops."

Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik also said the cabinet appointments were "a worsening disaster," criticizing Kim by saying that "a lawmaker helped a company that concealed the side effects of rat poison that killed laboratory animals — whether it was lobbying or a public complaint — simply because someone called him oppa."

The opposition also pressed the government on the Strait of Hormuz deployment. Jeong said, "There are many pressing diplomatic issues right now, including the Strait of Hormuz deployment question. I hope the government will maximize South Korea's national interests through wise summit diplomacy from here on."

PPP leader Jang wrote on Facebook Saturday that the government had "kept stalling on a decision while gauging the mood, even as the United States made its demands. Ultimately, we received the bill in the form of alliance distrust and public pressure. Combined US-Korea military exercises have been canceled, and security and trade negotiations have been backed into a corner. There must have been no other way."


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