Jang Donghyuk Criticizes President Lee's Golfing, Social Media Activity: "He Should Talk to People Who Speak Frankly"

Points to surge in social media posts: "Nothing the public wants to hear"
Golf schedule controversy revives Lee's past "seven hours of the Sewol disaster" remark
Raises concerns over South Korea-U.S. alliance; calls for replacement of Chung Dongyoun

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, called on President Lee Jae-myung to “stop communicating with the lawn during the day and his smartphone at night, and instead communicate with people who will speak candidly to him.” He took issue with the president’s frequent social media activity and urged him to change how he communicates with the public about state affairs.

Speaking at a People Power Party Supreme Council meeting on Oct. 12, Jang said, “President Lee claims that his social media activity is communication, but no one in the public considers it communication,” adding, “How is it communication when he says only what he wants to say and satisfies only his supporters?”

Jang noted that Lee had made 116 social media posts last month and more than 60 in the first 10 days of this month, claiming that “not one of them addresses what the public actually wants to hear.”

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, delivers opening remarks at a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju.

He continued, “The housing problem is blamed on the previous administration, and the comprehensive farmland survey is blamed on speculators. He does not even mention single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs).” He also claimed, “He cannot say a word to North Korea, which carried out a mine attack, or Iran, which launched a missile attack, yet he criticizes only Ukraine for repatriating North Korean prisoners of war.”

Jang also took issue with Lee’s golf plans on Oct. 10, when the ceiling of a commercial building in Daegu collapsed. He said, “When Lee was mayor of Seongnam, he brought up the ‘seven hours of the Sewol ferry disaster’ and criticized the president for being at the official residence as dereliction of duty. If being at the official residence was dereliction of duty, does being at a golf course amount to abandoning his duty?”

He added, “The Blue House says the president received a report from the golf course and gave instructions by phone, but how can he direct rescue operations in real time while playing golf?”

Jang also criticized the government’s foreign and security policies. Claiming that the South Korea-U.S. alliance was in a precarious situation, he called for the replacement of Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok. Citing the National Intelligence Service’s absence from a meeting on responding to North Korean cyberattacks and the U.S. decision to suspend visa issuance for employees of the Korean Embassy, he claimed, “The government is violating the standards of the alliance in intelligence and counterintelligence.”

He also criticized the government’s North Korea policy, saying, “Even when North Korea launches a missile, not a single line of warning comes from the president.” Jang stressed, “We must distinguish between friend and foe,” adding, “The government must change the direction of its foreign and security policies to protect our economy, people’s livelihoods, and security.”

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