Jeong Jeongsik Warns Against Covering Up the Seongnam Connection in Kang Hoonshik’s Resignation: "Kim Hyunji and Jeong Jinsang Must Face Parliamentary Audit"

Jeong Jeongsik, floor leader of the People Power Party, commented on Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hunsik's announcement of his intention to resign on September 21, stating, "This must not become a card to cover up the responsibilities of behind-the-scenes figures from the Gyeonggi-Seongnam faction," and added, "We must summon Kim Hyunji, Chief Presidential Secretary for Protocol, and Jeong Jinsang, former Head of Political Coordination at the Democratic Party of Korea, to the National Assembly audit to investigate allegations of personnel manipulation."

Jeong Jeongsik, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on September 18, 2026. Photo by Dongju Yoon

At a press conference held at the National Assembly that afternoon, floor leader Jeong said, "Secretary Kang is the Chairperson of the Presidential Personnel Committee, responsible for overseeing minister-level appointments, and therefore bears the greatest responsibility for the failure of the vetting process. His resignation is the natural course of action," he stated.

Floor leader Jeong also directed his remarks at Prime Minister Han Sung-sook, saying, "Prime Minister Han, who recommended ministerial candidates to the president, must also resign. The authority of the prime minister to recommend cabinet members, as laid out in Article 87 of the Constitution, must not be taken lightly," emphasizing that "the Senior Presidential Secretaries for Personnel and Civil Affairs, who are responsible for recommending and vetting appointments, must also be held accountable."

Jeong further criticized President Lee Jaemyung, stating, "The administration attempted to divert attention from negative public opinion through a cabinet reshuffle and failed, and then tried to cut ties by letting go of former Policy Chief Kim Yongbeom. When that failed, even Secretary Kang was dismissed," adding, "How will you attempt to cut ties next tomorrow?"

He stated, "Patching things up just to get through today with stopgap measures will not overcome this crisis. Only a sweeping overhaul of core state policies, including on the economy and national security, will suffice," and emphasized, "The selection of successors for Chief Presidential Secretary and Policy Chief must not become a revolving-door personnel shuffle simply to fill seats."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.