The conservative opposition is widening its offensive against President Lee Jae-myung's government, using the withdrawal of Kim Seung-won, a Democratic Party lawmaker who stepped down as justice minister nominee, to highlight what it calls repeated failures in vetting appointees. The People Power Party said it will not stop with Kim's exit but will press for further withdrawals from the second slate of Lee's Cabinet. Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the party is considering street protests as part of an all-out push to sway public opinion.
Choi Bo-yoon, the PPP's chief spokesperson, said in a statement on the 20th that "President Lee Jae-myung must personally apologize to the public for his repeated personnel failures." Choi said Kim stepped down 20 days after being named as nominee. "In form it was a voluntary resignation, but the decision was made by the public," she said. "This does not end with a resignation. When a nominee steps down, the post is left vacant, but the allegations do not disappear." She added that the government must explain why its pre-screening and confirmation vetting worked later than the public's own judgment, and must carry out a full review of its personnel system. "If it shifts the blame onto one nominee and papers over the personnel failure, the end will be this administration and the Democratic Party collapsing together," she said.
Han Dong-hoon, an independent lawmaker who has cast himself as Kim's main critic, also pointed to gaps in the government's vetting system. In a Facebook post the same day, Han said the process behind Kim's nomination and the vetting that followed must be thoroughly investigated, with accountability pursued through a special counsel.
The PPP said it will continue rigorous scrutiny through the confirmation hearings even after Kim's withdrawal. Kang Shin-chul, the defense minister nominee facing allegations over a special housing supply set aside for residents evicted by redevelopment projects, is cited as the next target. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk said the same day that Kang had never been able to call North Korea the "main enemy," had signaled his intent to push through a merger of the military academies, and was seeking to force through an early transfer of wartime operational control. He called Kang a minister "for the security of the administration," not the country. Jang also mocked the nominee's name with wordplay casting him as a sycophant and a fake redevelopment evictee, and said, "President Lee must immediately withdraw Kang's nomination." Han also said forcefully that Kang, who posed as a redevelopment evictee, must never become defense minister.
The PPP is also weighing a public opinion campaign that could include street protests. On the 22nd, just before the Chuseok holiday, it plans to hold a nationwide briefing at the National Assembly on what it calls the Lee government's failures, and to gauge public sentiment. After watching how the mood settles around family gatherings over the holiday, the party is leaving open the option of expanding its campaign to the streets. It has already filed notice for rallies in some regions starting next month. Still, some within the parliamentary party have urged caution, saying street protests are a last resort, pointing to a subtle gap with the party leadership.
