Jang Dong-hyeok: individual misconduct was merely a trigger — the public is rejecting Lee's governance

Na Kyung-won: personal ties driving appointments — fire Kim Hyun-ji immediately

Reform Party: nominees are handpicked first, vetting is just a rubber stamp

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at the National Assembly on Friday about President Lee Jae Myung's press conference. [Yonhap]
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at the National Assembly on Friday about President Lee Jae Myung's press conference. [Yonhap]

The People Power Party and the broader conservative opposition launched a sweeping offensive against the presidential office Sunday, labeling the string of failed cabinet nominees a "personnel disaster" and demanding that the nomination of Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-cheol be withdrawn and the presidential office's personnel and civil affairs staff be replaced entirely.

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok said on social media Sunday, referencing the withdrawals of Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in and Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won over allegations of preferential treatment and misconduct, that "individual wrongdoing was merely a trigger — the public is rejecting President Lee Jae Myung's governance."

Jang said public scrutiny had now turned to Kang, adding that the nominee had "shown throughout his confirmation hearing that he is a minister for the regime's own security." He urged the withdrawal of Kang's nomination, saying the nominee "ultimately could not bring himself to call North Korea the 'main enemy,' is pushing to consolidate the military academies, and is trying to rush the early transfer of wartime operational control."

Jang also took direct aim at the controversy surrounding Kang's alleged receipt of a special housing supply unit set aside for displaced residents, deriding the nominee with a wordplay on his name.

The opposition argued that the root cause of the cabinet reshuffle debacle lay in inadequate vetting and behind-the-scenes interference, and moved to squarely pin responsibility on the presidential office.

"The public is asking who drove this botched reshuffle — is it Kim Hyun-ji, who pulls all the strings?" Jang said, adding that Kim must be compelled to appear before the national audit and that if the Democratic Party refused, it would be "confessing to being an accomplice in the personnel disaster."

Senior lawmakers joined the criticism. PPP lawmaker Na Kyung-won said "personal connections are running roughshod over appointments" and urged the immediate removal of First Office Chief Kim Hyun-ji, whom she identified as the shadowy figure effectively acting as the presidential office's personnel committee chair.

Na said responsibility must also be demanded of the public ethics secretary, the civil affairs secretary and the senior secretary for personnel affairs, and called on the president to "bow before the public and apologize directly."

PPP Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yun said in a statement that "the presidential office failed to screen out the controversy over former nominee Kim Seung-won's petition letter, and the Democratic Party looked the other way," urging a clear explanation of the allegations of behind-the-scenes interference.

Reform Party Chief Spokesperson Lee Dong-hoon said this marked the fifth cabinet nominee to fall through in the 15 months of the Lee Jae Myung administration, asking whether the process had "degenerated into a formality where someone installs people first and vetting comes later as a rubber stamp."


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