Jang Je-won "Ruling Party Floor Leader's Remarks Are Harsh"···Kwon Seong-dong "Humbly Accepts" (Summary)

"Do Not Forget the Heavy Responsibility
No Pressure on Personnel Decisions"
Kwon Seong-dong Criticizes 'Harsh Expressions'
President Yoon's Approval Ratings Continue to Decline

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunju Lee and Boryeong Geum] Jang Je-won, a key figure in the People Power Party and a close associate of President Yoon Suk-yeol, directly criticized Kwon Seong-dong, the party leader acting as floor leader, on the 18th, urging him not to forget the heavy responsibility as the representative of the ruling party. Amid rumors of discord between Jang and Kwon due to delays in forming the study group ‘Mindeulle (Want to Hear Public Opinion)’ and the disciplinary actions against party leader Lee Jun-seok by the Ethics Committee, Jang tried to dispel misunderstandings by holding a lunch meeting on the 15th but raised his voice again just three days later. However, Kwon humbly accepted Jang’s remarks on the same day, saying, "I will listen with an open mind."

On that day, Jang wrote on his Facebook, "Regarding personnel matters in the presidential office, I feel I should speak as the person responsible for personnel at the time," and then said, "I ask Acting Leader Kwon to refrain from using harsh language." He added, "No matter how justified the explanation is, expressions like ‘putting pressure,’ ‘how can you live in Seoul on minimum wage, you country bumpkin from Gangneung,’ and other rough remarks should be avoided." He continued, "The public pays attention not only to the content of words but also to the attitude," and "I hope Acting Leader Kwon does not forget that he is now in a position to bear the solemn and heavy responsibility as the representative of the ruling party."

Kwon’s earlier remarks came during his explanation after controversy arose over a Grade 9 administrative officer named Woo, who works in the Social Affairs Secretariat of the presidential office and was revealed to be the son of an acquaintance of President Yoon Suk-yeol. At a meeting with reporters, Kwon said, "When I pressured (Jang) to put him in, they said there was no position, but later they put him in," and added, "I thought he would be placed in Grade 7, but he was placed in Grade 9," which further fueled the controversy.

Jang emphasized that he never received any hiring pressure from Kwon. He stated, "I have never received any pressure from Representative Kwon. I only received a recommendation," and explained, "The materials, including resumes and self-introductions, were submitted to the personnel team without revealing the recommender’s identity. The personnel team then assigned the rank and selected the candidate based on reputation, ability, election contributions, and career."

Kwon Seong-dong, Acting Leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 18th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

As concerns about a clash between the ‘Yoon core group’ escalated, Kwon accepted Jang’s criticism humbly and sought to ease tensions. After the Supreme Council meeting that day, Kwon told reporters, "I think party members can offer candid criticism to the acting party leader and floor leader," and "I will listen with an open mind to criticisms from party members and supporters."

Amid ongoing disputes among Yoon’s core associates, President Yoon’s approval ratings continue to decline. According to Realmeter’s survey conducted from July 11 to 15 among 2,519 people aged 18 and over nationwide, the negative evaluation of the government’s performance rose by 6.3 percentage points from the previous survey to 63.3%. Positive evaluations dropped by 3.6 percentage points to 33.4%. The gap between positive and negative responses widened to 29.9 percentage points, an increase of 9.9 percentage points from the previous 20.0 percentage points. The margin of error for this survey is ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The response rate was 4.6%. For more details, refer to the website of the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.