The Democratic Party of Korea on the 28th assessed the nomination of former lawmaker Lee Hye-hoon, who came from the People Power Party, as the first candidate for Minister of the Government Planning and Budget Office in the Lee Jae-myung administration, as "reflecting the president's centrist and pragmatic personnel philosophy."
Floor spokesperson Kim Hyun-jung met with reporters at the National Assembly that day and said, "We judge that this is a person with expertise recognized by all," and stated accordingly.
Kim, the floor spokesperson, criticized the People Power Party's expulsion of the nominee for "conduct harmful to the party," saying, "Rather than seeing it as an act of betrayal, it should be seen as a channel to properly restore the economy and the budget and to fully reflect opinions when making the budget," calling it an "overreaction."
She added, "From the perspective of the state and the people, shouldn't we give higher marks for appointing the right people to the right places regardless of the ruling or opposition party?" and "Defining it as betrayal seems to be only from the People Power Party's viewpoint. The public won't see it that way and will rather say it was done well."
Secretary-general Cho Seung-rae also wrote on Facebook that day, "It is like answering with expulsion to the president's will for unity in appointing a former lawmaker of the No. 1 opposition party, who is also a sitting regional chapter head, as Minister of the Government Planning and Budget Office, one of the most pivotal posts that plans, allocates, oversees, and manages the national budget," and said, "The People Power Party, which has no politics of unity for the state and the people, is truly a pathetic party."