Kim Yong-beom's preferential treatment allegations, Yong Hye-in's qualification controversy

Allegations have surfaced that Kim Yong-beom, Chief of Staff, provided preferential treatment to Mirae Asset Securities in connection with ETF leverage products. These allegations have intensified with the revelation that Kim's son is employed at Mirae Asset Securities. This product has reportedly led to tens of trillions of won in losses for individual investors and is cited as a cause of the KOSPI's sharp decline and market instability.

The delay in Kim Yong-beom's dismissal has amplified criticism over soaring exchange rates and deteriorating macroeconomic indicators. Criticisms have mounted regarding his inadequacy as an economic control tower, including sending inappropriate economic messages via personal social media. It has been argued that even after the dismissal of the economic chief, the responsibility for economic failure has been shifted to the President.

Criticism regarding Yong Hye-in's ministerial nomination has also emerged from women's organizations. Candidate Yong has a history of being elected twice as a proportional representative solely through a satellite party, and controversy has arisen over her concurrent roles as minister and parliamentarian. Spokesperson Park Min-young criticized Candidate Yong as "the worst opportunistic and privileged class in Yeouido," labeling this as a 'Cheonryongin' (heavenly dragon person) frame.

Yong Hye-in's potential receipt of approximately 1.1 billion won in annual state subsidies if she refuses to resign her proportional representative seat has drawn criticism. The structural issue of the proportional representation system, which allows for succession unlike constituency representatives, along with the impropriety of concurrent parliamentary and ministerial roles (a feature of parliamentary systems), has been asserted. Spokesperson Park Min-young questioned, "Isn't she not resigning now because she doesn't want to lose 1.1 billion won?" pointing to state subsidies as a factor behind her maintaining her parliamentary seat.

Yong Hye-in, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, has become embroiled in controversy over her qualifications. Her past opposition to legislation granting preferential treatment to soldiers has been raised as an issue. Furthermore, her stance supporting the crime of non-consensual intercourse has drawn criticism for violating the principle of presumption of innocence. Spokesperson Park Min-young evaluated Candidate Yong as "a sexist, not just controversial, but also lacking in qualifications."

Criticism has also been raised regarding Yong Hye-in's views on family. Her past advocacy for the abolition of regulations prohibiting homosexual acts within the military has been pointed out as problematic. Additionally, criticism has mounted with claims that the 'life partners law' (생활동반자법) could be a precursor to legalizing same-sex marriage. It has been noted that Candidate Yong's ideology conflicts with the core role of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and Spokesperson Park Min-young labeled Candidate Yong as a "family deconstructionist."

Yong Hye-in's nomination is expected to provoke backlash among those in their 20s and 30s and among Democratic Party supporters. Spokesperson Park Min-young stated that Candidate Yong "is not someone who will create a proud history as a minister in her 30s, but rather someone who could create the worst dark history." This nomination is predicted to be a catalyst for a decline in the Lee Jae-myung administration's approval ratings.

Allegations of multi-billion won support related to Yong Hye-in's family have surfaced, raising the possibility of her voluntary resignation. This issue is anticipated to cause a ripple effect comparable to that of former lawmaker Lee Hae-hoon and is expected to be a major point of contention during the confirmation hearing. The host questioned whether Candidate Yong would "become the first to voluntarily resign from nomination," lending weight to the possibility of her resignation.

Minister Ahn Gyu-baek has faced criticism for consistently giving evasive answers regarding allegations about his military service. He has yet to provide clear explanations for suspicions of being in the stockade and deserting his post. Despite his responsibility as Minister of National Defense to verify his military records and resolve the allegations, he was criticized for using a typical evasive phrase, saying, "If it's not true, I can just say it's not." This attitude has been criticized for undermining his trustworthiness as a public official.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense stated regarding Minister Ahn Gyu-baek's military service allegations, "Since the Minister's existing stance remains unchanged, we will conclude the answer with that." Along with this, the spokesperson's remark that the Minister could request a correction of his military records after leaving office further fueled controversy. This has been interpreted as an attempt by the incumbent minister to evade responsibility and postpone resolving the issue, drawing criticism.

The Ministry of National Defense's briefing, where questions about Minister Ahn Gyu-baek's military service allegations were evaded with phrases like "since the existing stance remains unchanged, we will conclude the answer with that," drew criticism. Spokesperson Park Min-young pointed out that this response method was similar to "what Han Dong-hoon said when he kept running away from questions on the party's bulletin board," drawing parallels to Han Dong-hoon's response during the bulletin board controversy. This has been criticized as undermining the public institution's duty of transparent information disclosure and infringing upon the public's right to know.

The sudden announcement of the Deputy Prime Minister's dismissal during an overseas trip, effectively a notification-style dismissal, has drawn criticism for causing diplomatic discourtesy and confusion. Many have pointed out that notifying the dismissal right before attending a G20 meeting is inappropriate. Concerns have been raised that such a method could undermine trust as a negotiating counterpart and negatively impact Korea-U.S. relations and economic negotiations. Spokesperson Park Min-young emphasized the unfairness of the personnel decision, stating, "It's not just the public who were surprised; the person himself, the primary culprit of economic failure Kim Yong-beom, was left untouched, but I was the one who was dismissed."

It has been revealed that the United States demanded Korea increase its investment in gas combined cycle power plant projects from the original $20 billion to $25 billion, an increase of $5 billion. Criticism has been raised that this negotiation proceeded as a 'secret negotiation' without National Assembly ratification. Furthermore, doubts have grown regarding the realistic feasibility of executing the increased investment amount due to limitations in domestically available budget.

As SK Hynix is reportedly considering establishing a semiconductor factory in Japan, controversy over the effectiveness of the Lee Jae-myung administration's promise of 800 trillion won investment in the Honam semiconductor cluster has resurfaced. The possibility of the company shifting investment to Japan based on economic judgment has been raised, and some analyses suggest this reflects the company's concerns about domestic regulations and the business environment. Spokesperson Park Min-young expressed skepticism about the Lee Jae-myung administration's investment attraction achievements, saying, "In fact, I wonder if this is another way of,俗话说, taking a jab at Lee Jae-myung."

The Democratic Party's push for an enforcement decree for the Yellow Envelope Act has drawn criticism for applying double standards, or 'nae-ro-nam-bul' (what I do is romance, what others do is a scandal), compared to its past criticisms of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Criticism arose that a 'comedy' is unfolding where the Democratic Party, which created the law, is now having the administration amend it through an enforcement decree. It was also argued that such bad laws are driving the corporate business environment to its worst state, and criticism of the excessive influence of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions continued. Spokesperson Park Min-young strongly criticized, saying, "The ruling party, which made the law, is now having the administration amend it through an enforcement decree, creating a comedy. That's how bad these laws are, driving the corporate business environment to its worst state."

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun's claim that 50% of public sentiment should be reflected in party member voting has drawn criticism as an inappropriate demand that deviates from party-centric principles. Limitations of opinion polls targeting the general public were pointed out, and the principle of direct election by party members for local chapter chairpersons was emphasized. Spokesperson Park Min-young criticized privileged lawmakers' reliance on opinion polls, stating, "For someone who has been elected five times to have to rely on an opinion poll, which is essentially a recognition survey packaged as 'public sentiment,' because they aren't recognized by party members, is, I'm sorry to say, embarrassing."