South Korean opposition leader calls ministerial nomination a “left-wing cartel” buildup, ruling party says “delusion”

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok has described President Lee Jae Myung’s nomination of Yong Hye-in as candidate for gender equality and family minister as “the buildup of Kim Hyun-ji’s ‘left-wing cartel.’” The Democratic Party dismissed the accusation as a delusion.

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The buildup of Kim Hyun-ji’s ‘left-wing cartel.’

Jang wrote on Facebook on the fifth that he had been puzzled when Lee unexpectedly nominated Yong, but believed the reason had emerged the previous day. He pointed to remarks by Seo Yong-ju, a former Democratic Party deputy spokesman, during a JTBC YouTube broadcast. Seo had said, in discussing Yong’s nomination, “It’s the personnel line, Kim Hyun-ji,” before explaining that he had been joking.

Jang argued that Yong’s nomination was not accidental. He also referred to claims that Kim, the first deputy chief of the presidential office, had links to the Gyeonggi Eastern Alliance. Jang connected the nomination to Yong’s refusal to resign from her proportional-representation seat and alleged that Kim would have known about it and overlooked it to protect an organization.

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It’s the personnel line, Kim Hyun-ji.

The Democratic Party called the accusation a replica of election-fraud conspiracy theories. Spokesman Lee Yong-woo said the original remark had been identified as a joke and that the broadcaster had corrected the facts by explaining that personnel appointments at the presidential office are handled by the senior secretary for personnel.

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A delusion identical to election-fraud delusions.

Lee accused Jang of turning a denied joke into a confession and layering claims about a hidden power broker, the Gyeonggi Eastern Alliance and a left-wing cartel onto it. He said Jang’s conspiracy theories could not replace scrutiny of Yong’s qualifications and urged the opposition leader to stop what he called conspiracy-driven politics. Lee also criticized Jang for attending a rally in Olympic Park and calling for a new election based on election-fraud claims instead of attending the Constitution Day ceremony.

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Conspiracy theories cannot replace verification.