Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, attends a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 11th of this month. News1
Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, said of President Lee Jae-myung’s views on the roles of the ruling and opposition parties posted on social media, “Every word is right. I’m not being sarcastic, I mean it sincerely.”
Jang made the remarks through his Facebook page Friday, adding, “The problem is how someone who knows it so well has acted until now. Has he kept even a single one of those principles himself?”
Jang continued his criticism in particular over the president’s reference to the three qualities a politician should possess, as argued by the German philosopher Max Weber.
First, regarding “passion for a great cause rather than personal interest,” Jang pointed out, “That’s not something to be said by a person who spent an entire year tearing down the nation’s judicial system just to avoid going to prison himself.”
He also questioned the expression “an infinite sense of responsibility for outcomes,” asking, “Is it an infinite sense of responsibility to create a hell of the three highs, a real estate hell, and even a jobs hell, and then babble on about stocks with no countermeasures?”
When the president referred to “a sense of balance between reality and ideals,” saying, “An idealist without reality becomes an incompetent agitator who focuses on dividing sides without solutions,” Jang jabbed, “If that’s an assessment of himself, it’s exactly right.”
Part of a post on President Lee Jae-myung’s X account. Captured from President Lee Jae-myung’s X
Jang went on to say, “With the pro-Lee and pro-Cheong factions fighting each other to a bloody pulp, he seems quite worn out,” stressing, “If he wants the ruling party to change, he should change himself first.”
He also said, “The president and the ruling party are one body,” adding, “No matter how much he calls out the ruling party’s duties while throwing away his own, nothing will change.”
Jang then said, “Try cleanly giving up the ‘trial cancellation’ first,” noting, “The time the ruling party can spend on people’s livelihoods will increase tenfold.”
He further added, “I hope he first heeds the voices of young people and citizens calling for a re-election right now,” saying, “That is the president’s ‘duty,’ and the first step toward ‘inclusion’ and ‘openness’ for all.”
The day before, President Lee posted an essay titled “The Ruling Party, the Opposition Party, and Political Responsibility” on his X account, formerly Twitter, writing, “The ruling party’s passion should be directed not at ‘our camp’ but at ‘the entire nation,'” and “It should play the role of a ‘large vessel’ that coordinates conflict and minimizes backlash through constant communication rather than confrontation and exclusion.”