Cho Gapje Criticizes Nomination of Lee Hyehoon as Minister
"Did She Oppose Impeachment Because Martial Law and Election Fraud Conspiracies Were Trivial?"
Lee Hyehoon: "I Have Believed Martial Law Was Wrong From the Start"
As former Saenuri Party (now People Power Party) lawmaker Lee Hyehoon was nominated as the first Minister of Planning and Budget for the Jaemyung Lee administration, causing turmoil in the political sphere, Gapje Cho, CEO of Cho Gapje Dotcom, voiced his criticism. Cho, a conservative commentator, has generally expressed a relatively favorable stance toward the Jaemyung Lee administration.
Conservative commentator Gapje Cho criticized former lawmaker Hyehoon Lee's past actions regarding the impeachment and detention of former President Seokyeol Yoon. On the 28th, former lawmaker Lee was nominated as the Minister of Planning and Budget for the Jaemyung Lee administration. CBS YouTube
On the 29th, Cho wrote on his social media, "Betrayal is the true nature of the 'Yoon Again' (pro-Seokyeol Yoon) faction," and questioned, "Did Lee Hyehoon, who fervently supported the impeachment of Park Geunhye, oppose the impeachment of Seokyeol Yoon because she considered his illegal martial law and election fraud conspiracy theories to be trivial?"
Cho further stated, "Defending Seokyeol Yoon, whom the Constitutional Court defined as a betrayer of public trust, is a betrayal of the Constitution and democracy," and added, "The betrayals of the 'Yoon Again' faction have served as a shield for the Jaemyung Lee administration. No matter how grave the administration's faults, public opinion that it is still better than the 'Yoon Again' group dilutes criticism of the administration's missteps." He went on to say, "It is only natural that the President would appoint Lee Hyehoon, one of their own, as a gesture of gratitude for the 'Yoon Again' group's usual efforts," thus highlighting Lee's past actions regarding the impeachment and detention of former President Seokyeol Yoon.
On the 28th, former lawmaker Lee Hyehoon was nominated as the Minister of Planning and Budget, causing a stir in the political circle. Photo by The Asia Business Daily
On the 28th, Lee’s nomination as Minister of Planning and Budget caused a stir in political circles. Last year, Lee ran as the People Power Party candidate for Jung-Seongdong district in Seoul during the general election but was defeated, and earlier this year, she served as the head of the policy division for Kim Moonsoo’s presidential campaign in the People Power Party.
Notably, earlier this year, she took the stage several times at rallies opposing the impeachment of former President Seokyeol Yoon, declaring, "The impeachment procedure itself is illegal," and stating, "Forces that shake the nation, like the Democratic Party, are the true insurgents." After a detention warrant was issued for former President Yoon in January, she argued during a televised debate, "A significant portion of the public cannot understand the decision to detain a sitting president, who was already in custody and unable to flee, based on a 15-character ruling citing concerns over destruction of evidence."
On that day, the People Power Party hastily convened a Supreme Council meeting and decided to expel Lee. The party stated, "As a party chapter head, Lee Hyehoon agreed to serve as a cabinet member in the Jaemyung Lee administration, thereby willingly collaborating with the current government. With just six months left before the local elections, she has committed the worst act of betrayal against the people and party members in our history." The party added, "We strongly condemn both President Lee and Lee Hyehoon for reducing the position of cabinet minister, responsible for the nation’s finances, to a mere political bargaining chip. We urge a public apology and demand that they take responsible action before the public as soon as possible."
In an interview with Yonhap News, Lee said, "It has long been my conviction that we must move beyond ideology or faction when it comes to people’s livelihoods and the economy. While it is true that I have a conservative economic philosophy, I have consistently emphasized the need for economic democratization even within the conservative camp. After receiving this offer, I felt it was sincere, and I decided to join the cabinet because I believed I could finally put my long-held belief in economic democratization into practice."
Regarding the 12·3 Martial Law, she stated, "My view that the martial law was wrong has never changed, from the very beginning until now. When I first heard the news, I told fellow lawmakers that it was 'something that should never happen.' However, as I was a party chapter head, there was one occasion when I followed the party’s position. Nevertheless, I am still firmly convinced that martial law should never happen again."
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