The People Power Party criticized the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on May 9 for its handling of the "emergency helicopter transport privilege controversy" that arose during President Lee Jae-myung's tenure as leader of the Democratic Party. The party described the commission's actions as a "cleaning operation" aimed at erasing past misdeeds using state resources.
Park Seong-hoon, the party's chief spokesperson, stated in a commentary that the commission's findings were ultimately tailored to fit the government's preferences. He questioned whether the commission's actions, which undermine trust in local healthcare and disrupt the medical delivery system, could be considered normalization.
Previously, the commission announced on May 8 that its task force had determined that the judgment regarding the violation of medical personnel's code of conduct in 2024 was inappropriate, citing improper intervention by the then-secretary general.
Following the commission's announcement, President Lee took to social media to express his views, stating, "I have been saved from the three major threats of judicial murder through manipulated prosecutions, knife murders orchestrated by terrorists, and defamation through manipulated media." He emphasized that he believes he has been spared by a higher power.
In response, Song Eon-seok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized Lee for using his own experience of being attacked as a narrative to seek self-exoneration. Lawmaker Na Kyung-won also condemned Lee's framing of legitimate legal judgments as judicial murder, urging him to stop the self-serving narrative and face the ongoing trial.
Within the party, there were also concerns about the religious and fatalistic rhetoric in political discourse. Lawmaker Han Ji-a, associated with the pro-Han Dong-hoon faction, targeted Jang Dong-hyuk's remarks during a recent foreign press briefing, where he stated, "I believe God was watching over South Korea at that moment." Another lawmaker criticized this attitude as an attempt to cloak political actions in a transcendent legitimacy beyond the people's choice.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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