DP leader asks president to reconsider Red Cross chief appointment
SEOUL — Democratic Party (DP) leader Kim Min-seok has asked President Lee Jae Myung to reconsider the appointment of Ihn Yohan, a former lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), as the new head of the Korean Red Cross, a ruling party spokesperson said Wednesday.
Kim made the request after President Lee met with DP leaders over dinner at Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office, on Tuesday, according to DP senior spokesperson Park Sung-joon.
"Kim said it would be better not to appoint Ihn as chief of the Korean Red Cross. He made the request after gathering opinions from within and outside the party," Park said in a media briefing in the southeastern city of Andong.
Ihn was chosen through a vote by the Korean Red Cross's central committee in June and is set to take office for a three-year term upon approval from President Lee, who serves as honorary president of the organization. The National Assembly's public officials ethics committee has also concluded after a review that Ihn is eligible for employment as the president of the Korean Red Cross.
However, some critics have raised objections to Ihn's appointment, citing his absence from the vote on the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol following his declaration of martial law in December 2024.
Ihn, an American Korean medical doctor, hails from an American family that has dedicated its services to developing medicine and education in South Korea. He became a naturalized South Korean citizen in 2012.
Meanwhile, Kim held his first meeting with PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok at the National Assembly on Aug. 24, 2026, since Kim took office as DP leader on Aug. 17. During the meeting, Jang criticized the presidential office and the ruling DP over the nomination process for Supreme Court justices, as well as the government's real estate policy.
Supreme Court nomination dispute
Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae sent a written recommendation for two justice nominees to President Lee, rather than following the usual practice of a face-to-face meeting with the president. The presidential office and the ruling bloc argued that the written recommendation was procedurally wrong and have called for Cho to step down.
The PPP claimed Lee and the ruling bloc were trying to intervene in the judiciary by nominating figures close to them. Opposition parties argued that the chief justice acted within his authority and accused the ruling bloc of rushing through legal revisions to shield Lee from criminal charges after he leaves office and of seeking to control the judiciary.
Jang said former President Roh Moo-hyun accepted and nominated then-Chief Justice Choi Jong-young's recommendation because he believed judicial independence must be protected and is fundamental to upholding the rule of law and democracy. He added that if the judicial nomination issue is linked to legal challenges facing President Lee, the process must be handled with utmost transparency and clarity.
Kim replied to Jang's comments on judicial independence: "I will take that into careful consideration."
Dispute over real estate policy
Jang also criticized the government's real estate policy, claiming that President Lee is not keeping his presidential election pledges and is disappointing the people by changing them. He said that when Lee was a presidential candidate, he said he would not try to curb housing prices through taxation. Lee first pledged to ease property taxes by reforming the officially assessed property-price system, preventing unfair applications of the comprehensive real estate holding tax, and temporarily suspending the additional capital gains tax on owners of multiple homes. Jang said the government's real estate policy is moving in the opposite direction from Lee's campaign pledges.
The two leaders agreed to meet more frequently in person to discuss key issues. They shared an understanding that additional tax revenue generated by strong semiconductor sales should benefit ordinary middle-class people and young people.