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South Korea’s Opposition Attacks Lee Jae-myung’s Cabinet Reshuffle as a Move to Cancel His Trial
🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

South Korea’s Opposition Attacks Lee Jae-myung’s Cabinet Reshuffle as a Move to Cancel His Trial

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok condemned President Lee Jae-myung’s cabinet reshuffle as contrary to public opinion.
  • Jang accused Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won of leading efforts related to dropping indictments involving Lee, though the article presents this as an opposition claim.
  • Opposition lawmakers also criticized the retention of senior officials and said the reshuffle served Lee’s political interests rather than economic or administrative reform.

South Korea’s opposition has branded President Lee Jae-myung’s latest cabinet reshuffle a political maneuver designed to help cancel his trials, sharpening its attack on the government’s appointments.

Yesterday, President Lee Jae-myung carried out a surprise cabinet reshuffle. It was a reshuffle that went against public sentiment and in the opposite direction from the public’s wishes.

— Jang Dong-hyeokThe People Power Party leader criticized the reshuffle at a party leadership meeting.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok said the reshuffle had moved “in the opposite direction from the public’s wishes.” He focused particular criticism on Kim Seung-won, a Democratic Party lawmaker nominated as justice minister, accusing Kim of leading efforts to withdraw indictments connected to Lee.

“In the end, this means he is all in on canceling the trials, no matter how strongly the public objects,” Jang said at a Supreme Council meeting in Seoul. He also criticized the retention of Presidential Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, saying the appointments showed that Lee considered canceling his own trials more urgent than people’s livelihoods or restoring the South Korea-US alliance.

In the end, this means he is all in on canceling the trials, no matter how strongly the public objects.

— Jang Dong-hyeokJang accused the president and his appointments of prioritizing the cancellation of Lee’s trials.

Jang extended his criticism to Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek, referring to a promise to disclose his military records after leaving office. He called for the presidential office and cabinet to be replaced with people who would work in line with public demands, warning that voters would eventually replace the president if the government did not change course.

The anger index among people in their 20s and 30s is about to explode and has passed the critical point.

— Jang Dong-hyeokJang used the claim to criticize the political direction of the appointments.

People Power Party floor leader Chung Jeom-sik echoed the criticism, calling the reshuffle a refusal to carry out the reforms demanded by citizens. He said the appointments were aimed at protecting Lee’s approval ratings and Lee himself, rather than reviving the economy and improving people’s lives.

This is a reshuffle by a left-wing coalition lacking substance, aimed at saving approval ratings and saving Lee Jae-myung rather than reviving the economy.

— Chung Jeom-sikThe People Power Party floor leader gave his assessment of the reshuffle.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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