▲ People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th.
The conservative opposition party criticized the growing tension between the presidential office and the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea over the responsibility for local election results, calling it "a manifestation of 'power addiction' that lacks even the slightest sense of responsibility as the ruling party."
People Power Party Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon issued a commentary today (June 15), stating, "Even in the face of the stern warning from public sentiment shown in the June 3 local elections, the ruling party and the presidential office are showing nothing but unsightly internal power struggles and finger-pointing instead of reflection."
Chief Spokesperson Choi pointed out, "The extreme discord between the presidential office and the party leader, which even sparked the term 'Myeong-Cheong War' (a conflict between Lee Jae-myung and the presidential office), is reaching a peak as it escalates into a desperate struggle for hegemony ahead of the August party leadership election." She added, "The public is appalled by this disgraceful internal fight within the administration, where they are pointing time bombs of party splits and impeachment at each other."
She cited a post written by President Lee on social media during his European tour, which stated that "the ruling party must focus more on the language of responsibility," as evidence of the "internal fight."
Interpreting this as a message effectively aimed at the Democratic Party leadership, she argued, "It is nothing more than self-righteousness to turn the ruling party into the President's private party. It proves that the power struggle within this administration is already out of control."
Furthermore, she urged, "This administration, where the President and the ruling party leader are pointing knives at each other over election results just one year into their term, faces only catastrophe," adding, "Stop this internal fight that borders on a disgrace immediately."
Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won said at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, "For a head of state to intervene in ruling party politics via social media during a state visit and target the political moves of the party leader is, regardless of the content's validity, an act that tramples on intra-party democracy," adding, "If it's going to be like this, the President should just appoint the Democratic Party leader."
New Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok also criticized the situation at his party's Supreme Council meeting that day, saying, "A president who shifts the responsibility for local election results onto his own party via social media looks very light. Is the 'Myeong-Cheong War' the answer to the public sentiment from the local elections?"
Pointing out that real estate issues such as the housing shortage are serious, Representative Lee said, "No matter how much the pro-Lee and pro-Moon factions fight, it is difficult to find differences between the two administrations when it comes to real estate." He added, "If you really want to fight the 'Myeong-Cheong War,' differentiate yourselves from the remnants of the Moon Jae-in administration. If you don't want to become 'Moon Jae-in Administration 2.0,' let's start by lifting the actual residence requirements."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.