In Support of Lee Raekyung as Innovation Committee Chair... Democratic Party Asks, "Is Lee Jae-myung in His Right Mind?"

Criticism from the Opposition as Well: "Absurd and Preposterous"

Regarding the appointment of Lee Rae-kyung, honorary director of Other Hundred Years, who has caused controversy with remarks such as "Cheonan ship self-destruction," as the Innovation Committee Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, the ruling party criticized, saying, "Is Representative Lee Jae-myung in his right mind?" Voices of criticism are also emerging within the opposition party, mainly from the non-Lee faction.

On the 5th, Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out through social media (SNS), "A person who claims that the Cheonan ship was a self-destruction is said to lead the Democratic Party's innovation. How is this different from those who claim that the May 18 Gwangju Uprising was the work of North Korean troops?"

Lee Raekyung, Chairman of Other Hundred Years

He criticized, "This is not freedom of expression but a challenge to the truth and a regression of history," adding, "No matter whose party it is, there are boundaries in politics. Is the Democratic Party and Representative Lee Jae-myung in their right mind to appoint such a person as the party's Innovation Committee Chairperson?"

Earlier, Kim referred to the disciplinary actions taken by the People Power Party against Kim Jae-won, Supreme Council member, and Tae Young-ho, former Supreme Council member, for remarks related to May 18 and April 3, saying, "At least the People Power Party disciplined those who made statements that distort historical truth. What the Democratic Party should do regarding that person is not appointing him as Innovation Committee Chairperson but expelling him," sharpening his criticism.

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Byung-gil also pointed out, "The Democratic Party appointed this director as Innovation Committee Chairperson, saying they will innovate the party. Considering the Democratic Party is currently putting all its efforts into Fukushima-related conspiracy politics, he is perhaps the most fitting person."

He introduced Lee's SNS remarks such as "The Cheonan ship incident was fabricated," "The origin of COVID-19 is the United States," "North Korea's nuclear weapons development is a fierce effort to protect its own security," and "Japan is behind the deployment of THAAD," adding, "It is hard to tell whether he is an Innovation Committee Chairperson or a Conspiracy Committee Chairperson given the serious level of his words and actions. I wonder if the innovation the Democratic Party talks about is actually a stronger set of conspiracies to cover up the Lee Jae-myung risk as 'Lee Jae-myung protection.'"

Former leader Lee Jun-seok also criticized Lee's remarks, saying, "After briefly reviewing his statements and actions, if this is the direction they are going, it would be better to appoint Kim Eo-jun as the Innovation Committee Chairperson." Kim Eo-jun is a pro-opposition broadcaster who runs the YouTube channel 'News Factory.'

Criticism is also coming from the opposition party, mainly from the non-Lee faction, because Lee Rae-kyung is known to be aligned with Representative Lee Jae-myung. Lee Sang-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "The establishment of an Innovation Committee is to overcome the flaws and limitations of the Lee Jae-myung system. If so, the person should be strong enough to firmly and objectively hold the center based on public sentiment. However, the person known to be appointed as Innovation Committee Chairperson, Lee Rae-kyung, was not discussed within the party at all, not verified at all, and is rather inclined toward Representative Lee's side, so there is nothing more to expect."