Lee Jaemyung Warns Acting President Choi to "Be Careful"
"Choi Focused on State Affairs," But Internal Discontent Grows
Political Uncertainty Deepens... Government Reluctant on Supplementary Budget
Following Democratic Party leader Lee Jaemyung's remarks urging caution, Deputy Prime Minister and Acting President Choi Sangmok, who also serves as Minister of Economy and Finance, has been carrying out his scheduled duties without issuing a separate statement. However, dissatisfaction appears to be mounting within the government. The prevailing view among government officials is that excluding Acting President Choi from the State Affairs Council and making what are perceived as threatening remarks has gone too far. Under Acting President Choi's leadership, it is expected that bipartisan cooperation on matters such as formulating an additional supplementary budget will be difficult.
According to the government on March 20, Acting President Choi continued with his existing economic and policy-related schedule through the morning without delivering any special message to the political sphere. A government official stated, "The Acting President is focused on stable governance," and added, "Even if the Democratic Party crosses the line, the government cannot do the same." Although a day has passed since the Democratic Party issued a final ultimatum to appoint Ma Eunhyuk as Constitutional Court Justice nominee, Acting President Choi still has not made any public statement regarding the matter.
Democratic Party leader Lee Jaemyung and Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong are having a brief conversation before the "Youth Employment Support On-site Meeting" held at the Samsung Youth Software Academy (SSAFY) in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Nevertheless, dissatisfaction toward the Democratic Party is building within the government. While officials are refraining from openly expressing it due to the political sensitivity and importance of stable governance, there is a widespread sentiment that the attempts to undermine Acting President Choi have gone too far. One government official commented, "Such actions are inappropriate, regardless of whether one is conservative or progressive." Although Acting President Choi only expressed "regret" over being excluded from the State Affairs Council by the Democratic Party, it is known that there was significant internal backlash.
As the conflict between the opposition and Acting President Choi intensifies, uncertainty over state affairs is deepening. If the Democratic Party proceeds with impeachment proceedings against Acting President Choi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Juhyo would assume the acting role. This would result in a "proxy of a proxy of a proxy" situation, further weakening the government's leadership in state affairs. It is also difficult to predict whether Deputy Prime Minister Lee would seek cooperation with the opposition by appointing nominee Ma.
The immediate issue is the formulation of a supplementary budget, which is directly linked to people's livelihoods. After a meeting between the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties on March 18, they requested that the government prepare a supplementary budget bill and submit it to the National Assembly within the month. However, the government has expressed reluctance. An official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance stated, "Preparing a budget requires collaboration among multiple ministries, and without guidelines from both parties, it would take a long time and might not pass at all," adding, "Discussion at the State Affairs Council should come first." Another government official pointed out, "Discussing a supplementary budget without the government essentially means there will be no discussion at all."
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