"Lee Hyehoon Accused of Instructing Mutual Surveillance and Forcing Head Shaving Among Aides; Prosecutors Receive Complaint"

Lee Hyehoon, former lawmaker and nominee for the inaugural Minister of Planning and Budget under the Lee Jaemyung administration, has been additionally accused over allegations that she instructed her aides to monitor each other in the past.

Lee Hyehoon, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, is expressing his position as he arrives at the hearing preparation office set up at the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation in Jung-gu, Seoul on December 29, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

On January 4, Seoul City Council member Lee Jongbae announced that he would file a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against the nominee, citing charges of abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, coercion, and intimidation.

Councilman Lee stated, "If it is true that the nominee ordered her aides to delete critical comments, instructed mutual surveillance, and forced them to shave their heads, these acts constitute abuse of authority, coercion, and intimidation," adding, "Her nomination should be immediately withdrawn."

He had previously filed a complaint against the nominee on January 2, also on charges of intimidation and abuse of authority, citing allegations that she habitually engaged in verbal abuse and personal insults toward intern staff during her tenure as a lawmaker.

In 2017, when the nominee was a member of the Bareun Party, media outlets reported on a recorded phone call in which she reprimanded an intern staff member for failing to report news articles mentioning her name.

Subsequent reports alleged that the nominee had her aides delete critical comments about her or post rebuttals themselves, instructed mutual surveillance, and even forced district council members to shave their heads at rallies.