People Power Party: "Lee Hyehoon's Nomination Withdrawal Is Only Right" · "President Lee Must Apologize"

The People Power Party commented on January 25 regarding President Lee Jaemyung's withdrawal of the nomination of Lee Hyehoon as Minister of Planning and Budget, stating, "It is a belated but entirely natural and common-sense outcome."

Lee Hyehoon, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, is drinking water while attending the Personnel Hearing of the Planning and Finance Committee held at the National Assembly on January 23, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

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Choi Eunseok, Chief Spokesperson for the People Power Party's parliamentary group, told reporters at the National Assembly that day, "The hearing exposed nominee Lee's hypocrisy and greed in a very explicit manner, and none of the raised suspicions were resolved," adding this assessment.

Spokesperson Choi also said, "There is a significant difference between the vetting process for a member of the National Assembly and for a cabinet minister," and added, "Even though nominee Lee served three terms as a lawmaker in a conservative party, it can be said that her morality and qualifications were not substantively vetted, and this was the first proper examination."

Assemblyman Park Sooyoung stated on social media, "Nominee Lee is a 'Lee Jaemyung person'-personally selected by President Lee Jaemyung, who bypassed all other ruling party figures to nominate her as Minister of Planning and Budget." He continued, "The responsibility for vetting 'Lee Jaemyung people' lies with President Lee. Do not pretend not to know. Do not mislead the public, and immediately apologize to the people."

Assemblywoman Bae Hyunjin wrote on Facebook, "This turned out to be a short-lived drama after all. After watching the hearing, I believe this should not end with a withdrawal, but should lead to an investigation."

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