The People Power Party on the 3rd strongly criticized the nomination of Democratic Party lawmaker Park Hong-keun as Minister of Planning and Budget, calling it election interference by President Lee Jae-myung. Park was confirmed as the Democratic Party's Seoul mayoral primary candidate just the day before, but was nominated as budget minister only hours later, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition.
The PPP condemned the nomination as "clear election interference" by President Lee. Park faces criticism that the Blue House intervened in personnel matters after he was selected as the Seoul mayoral candidate only to receive the ministerial nomination hours later.
PPP chief spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon said, "An unprecedented situation has occurred where a person confirmed as the Democratic Party's Seoul mayoral primary candidate yesterday was nominated as Minister of Planning and Budget just a few hours later." She called it "a deceptive appointment unprecedented in constitutional history and the worst power-sharing that mixes party nomination procedures with national appointments."
Choi stated, "The position handling the nation's fiscal blueprint is not a card for internal party coordination." She pointed out, "The president using such a critical position as a 'consolation card' for primary withdrawal or internal conflict resolution even while overseas is an insult to the national personnel system."
The spokesperson accused Park of "double-dealing," saying, "Candidate Park Hong-keun held a book launch claiming to prepare for Seoul mayor while secretly coveting a ministerial position as 'Plan B' and preparing verification documents." She sharpened her attack: "Outwardly running as a primary candidate claiming to serve citizens while secretly double-dealing with a position of power as insurance signifies the destruction of responsible politics."
Choi continued, "The public has already witnessed this administration's incompetent personnel vetting multiple times." She directly criticized: "There is no way a person who was only focused on primary preparations would possess the expertise and moral qualifications for the ministry. The situation itself—where citizens must first worry about what power abuse and disqualification factors might emerge—is a serious deviation from normal state order."
The spokesperson also demanded, "The Blue House must transparently reveal the process of whether it conducted even minimal personnel vetting." She emphasized that Park should first apologize to Seoul citizens.