The People Power Party criticized the resignation of Lee Byung-tae, vice chair of the presidential Regulatory Rationalization Committee, as "hypocrisy that cries for unity while carrying out a purge."
On the 6th, Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson of the People Power Party, said in a commentary, "Vice Chair Lee ultimately stepped down after blatant pressure and a demand to resign from the presidential office," adding, "Lee was in effect ousted from public office simply for expressing a view different from the administration's view of history."
Park, the senior spokesperson, added, "Genuine national unity begins not with suppressing criticism but with embracing it," and "Together with the public, we will surely correct the Lee Jae-myung administration's 'fake unity' and 'fake democracy,' which suppress different voices, criminalize criticism, and undermine democracy."
On the 29th, when Paejae High School's baseball team was disciplined after chanting the cheer "We should go to Starbucks" at the Cheongryonggi National High School Baseball Championship, Vice Chair Lee sparked controversy by writing on social media that "May 18 has become sacrosanct."
The presidential office said on the 4th through the senior Spokesperson that it had issued a stern warning to Vice Chair Lee. But as the controversy grew, on the 6th it recommended that Lee resign, and Lee accepted, saying, "It was my fault for failing to properly gauge the political sensitivity."
Last year, during the People Power Party presidential primary, Vice Chair Lee handled economic policy on candidate Hong Joon-pyo's campaign. The Lee Jae-myung administration later tapped Lee as part of efforts to address political polarization and promote national unity.