The People Power Party criticized President Lee Jae-myung, stating that the appointment of a person from Naver as Minister raises suspicions of bias. There were also suggestions that this indicates a 'reward appointment,' given that a person from Naver is involved in the allegations surrounding Seongnam FC sponsorship funds.
The People Power Party's Media Special Committee issued a statement on the 11th, saying, "President Lee is facing criticism for appointing a series of individuals from Naver."
They further emphasized that "President Lee is currently being prosecuted for allegedly facilitating a bribe in exchange for the approval of the construction of a new Naver building in Bundang Jeongja-dong, having caused Seongnam FC to grant 4 billion won in sponsorship." They noted that the appointment of a former Naver CEO is inappropriate given that a criminal trial is currently underway.
On this day, the president nominated Choi Hwi-young, the head of NOL Universe, as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Candidate Choi previously served as CEO of NHN (now Naver) and as CEO of NHN Business Platform (now Naver Cloud). Additionally, Han Seong-suk, the former CEO of Naver and nominee for Minister of SMEs and Startups, and Ha Jung-woo, who was the head of the AI Innovation Center at Naver Cloud, are also from Naver.
The Media Special Committee stated, "There are concerns that the Democratic Party's appointments of individuals from Naver have gone too far," adding, "Following Yoon Young-chan during the Moon Jae-in administration, we now see Ha Jung-woo, head of Naver Cloud Center, appointed as AI Chief and Choi Hwi-young, former CEO of Naver, appointed as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism during the Lee Jae-myung administration."
They continued, "If the representative of a news platform operator, who should remain politically neutral, is appointed only within a specific administration, it naturally raises suspicions of bias," while noting that "Yoon Young-chan, who originally designed the Naver News Partnership Evaluation Committee, implemented a system over the past decade that allowed left-leaning internet newspapers to dominate Naver News's CP company entry review."
Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, also pointed out the appointments from Naver under the Lee Jae-myung administration. He remarked, "After appointing individuals from Naver to the presidential chief secretary and minister of SMEs and Startups, they have again appointed a person with Naver experience as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism."
He added, "President Lee's fondness for Naver has been long-standing. A person from Naver is also involved in the Seongnam FC sponsorship allegation," highlighting, "Coincidentally, Doosan, which was also implicated in that incident, had an executive appointed as Minister of Industry. Could this connection of 'sticky sponsorship' linking Naver, Doosan, and the Seongnam FC case not be a form of patronage?"