"Hitler·Chavez"... The People Power Party Turns Tougher on Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party

Re-pushing the 250,000 Won Subsidy: "Immoral Politics"
Request for Constitutional Review: "Ridiculous Stalling Tactic"
On Lee Jaemyung's 'Strengthening Korea-US Alliance': "Suspected Mask"

On the 23rd, the leadership of the People Power Party unleashed harsh criticism toward the Democratic Party and its leader Lee Jae-myung, saying, "Politics is Hitler, economy is Chavez." They likened the policies of Lee and the Democratic Party?who declared the reporting of fake news related to the state of emergency, formed a special committee for verifying public opinion polls and improving the system, and are re-pushing the Local Currency Act to provide 250,000 won to all citizens?to Nazi Germany and Venezuela.

Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized at the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly, "Providing 250,000 won gift certificates to all citizens would require a massive budget of 13 trillion won. The Democratic Party, which created the era of 1,000 trillion won national debt, is once again planning to raid the national treasury for vote-buying."

He continued, "This is a plan to distribute cash with an early presidential election in mind, and it shows the intention to make future generations debtors for their own political gain," adding, "What is the difference between this and a parent who takes away their child's food bowl to fill their own stomach? This is truly immoral politics."

Kwon Young-se, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Regarding Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, who is undergoing an appellate trial for spreading false information under the Public Official Election Act and has requested a constitutional review, Kwon called it a "ridiculous stalling tactic of bed football" and criticized him as a 'law manipulator.' If the court accepts Lee's constitutional review request, the appellate trial will not proceed until the Constitutional Court makes a decision.

Kwon said, "Is it reasonable to ask for changes to the country's election law for one's own survival?" He pointed out, "Last week, Lee's side submitted seven additional witness requests, one evidence submission, and four document delivery requests to the court. These are all repeated stories that were already dealt with and dismissed in the first trial, which dragged on for two years and two months."

Regarding the adoption of a question on the West District Court assault incident at the plenary session of the National Assembly without bipartisan agreement, he said, "Lee said he would attend the trial this afternoon, so I hope he does not leave early from the plenary session as an excuse like he did during the Daejang-dong trial last week," adding, "If he tries to postpone the trial schedule again by leaving early, that would be shameless."

There was also a reaction expressing suspicion that Lee's remarks on strengthening the Korea-US alliance in relation to the inauguration of the Donald Trump administration might be a facade. Kwon Young-se, a member of the People Power Party's emergency committee, mentioned past statements by Lee and the Democratic Party, saying, "They have continuously revealed a typical anti-American historical view, such as saying 'US troops are occupying forces' and claiming 'the Japan-Korea annexation was approved by the US due to the Katsura-Taft Agreement.' They also insulted the president's state visit to the US as 'global sucker diplomacy' and disparaged the Korea-US-Japan joint military exercises as pro-Japanese defense, saying the Self-Defense Forces' boots dirtied the Korean Peninsula."

He added, "It is true that not only our people but also the US government, Congress, and media are all concerned about Lee Jae-myung's anti-American sentiment, so it is suspicious that he is putting on a mask. As he said, 'When I said I respected the past, they thought I really respected them,' I hope he does not change his words again, saying 'When I said to strengthen the Korea-US alliance, they thought I was really strengthening it.'"

The People Power Party's focus on attacking Lee Jae-myung is interpreted as a strategy to maximize the Democratic Party's declining approval ratings and the negative perception of Lee. Regarding the Democratic Party and Lee's reporting of fake news related to the state of emergency and the formation of a special committee for verifying public opinion polls, which have been embroiled in controversies over KakaoTalk censorship and poll censorship respectively, the People Power Party leadership questioned whether they are trying to create a censorship republic.

Kwon, the emergency committee member, said, "YouTubers criticizing the Democratic Party and Lee Jae-myung have been successively reported, and the police even checked the YouTube viewing records of protest participants. Yesterday, they even reported Jeon Han-gil, a Korean history instructor who pointed out election fraud," adding, "They only pointed out problems with the National Election Commission and the election system, so many people are puzzled why the Democratic Party is so upset and whether the National Election Commission and the Democratic Party are one and the same."

He continued, "The Democratic Party is preparing to hold hearings for broadcast and portal censorship by setting an absurd trap of 'sedition propaganda.' Their only goal is to thoroughly block criticism of Lee Jae-myung, who is almost sacred in South Korea. They are issuing censorship proclamations No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 one after another against the people and are effectively planning martial law," he emphasized.

Regarding the Democratic Party's response to public opinion polls, Kwon said, "The Democratic Party remained silent when their approval ratings were good. But now that unfavorable poll results keep coming out, they want to control statistics as political power," adding, "Many people worry that if an early presidential election happens and Lee Jae-myung becomes president, the country will be ruined by bloody political revenge and populist policies."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a New Year's press conference at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

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