People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyuk launched sharp criticism against the opposition's candidates for Seoul and Busan mayor ahead of the June 3 local elections, throwing his support behind his party's candidates. Jang particularly intensified his offensive by branding Democratic Party candidates' policies as "flawed Lee Jae-myung-style policies."
At a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Thursday, Jang took aim at Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor. "When asked about traffic measures, candidate Jung answered that reducing car supply would solve the problem," Jang said. "This is like responding to a citizen complaining about a cramped home by saying, 'Lose weight and your space will feel larger.'"
Turning to real estate policy, Jang argued that "Jung's measures are nothing more than a copy of the Lee Jae-myung administration's policies." He added, "While he evades questions on raising property taxes or abolishing the long-term holding special deduction, measures for jeonse (a Korean lease system requiring a large lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent) and monthly rent, which are causing suffering for ordinary citizens, are nowhere to be found." Jang also labeled Jung a "Myung-pick candidate" (Lee Jae-myung's pick), warning that "if elected mayor, he will stand at the forefront of dropping a property tax bomb and abolishing the long-term holding deduction."
Jang's offensive against Jeon Jae-soo, the Busan mayoral candidate, was equally intense. Referring to Jeon's pledge to relocate HMM's headquarters to Busan, Jang said, "Because of the Yellow Envelope Act that the Democratic Party pushed through, he won't be able to move an inch without union approval." He questioned, "With unions opposing it to the point of threatening a general strike, how can a candidate who couldn't even pass the bipartisan Busan Global Hub City Special Act possibly pull off a headquarters relocation?"
Jang also directly targeted allegations surrounding Jeon. "Why can't he clearly answer the allegation of receiving a Cartier watch?" Jang asked. "If the bribery investigation related to the Unification Church were properly conducted, it wouldn't be strange if he went to prison right now." He appealed to voters to "choose hardworking Oh Se-hoon over 'Cancun Jung Won-oh,' and proven Park Heong-jun over 'Cartier Jeon Jae-soo.'"
Meanwhile, Jang also raised concerns about the Lee Jae-myung administration's push to introduce a "fairness allowance." He criticized it as "typical dogmatism, pushing ahead unconditionally without sufficient review on a single word from the president." He added, "While the intent of giving more allowances to non-regular workers is good, the self-employed and small business owners are furious, saying they may have to shut down due to the burden of labor costs."
