On the 17th, the Presidential Office denied reports from some media that the atmosphere at the Presidential Office had tilted due to the resignation of Kang Sun-woo, the Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee.
Lee Gyu-yeon, the Senior Secretary for Public Relations and Communication, stated through a notice to the reporters that morning, “The reports from some media suggesting that the atmosphere at the Presidential Office has tilted due to Kang Sun-woo’s resignation are not true,” and added, “The Presidential Office's stance remains unchanged.”
Previously, the Presidential Office had stated it would “watch the confirmation hearing process and make a judgment.”
However, voices demanding a decision from President Lee Jae-myung and the resignation of the nominee Kang are growing within the ruling party and civil society organizations.
The Democratic Party's Council of Aides (Minbohyup) executive committee expressed in a statement released the day before, “The attitude towards aides reflects the attitude towards the people,” and stated that “Bullying behavior shows a complete lack of basic posture as both a Minister and a Member of Parliament,” urging the resignation of Kang. The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy also criticized in a commentary the same day that “The bullying controversy is a serious disqualification for personally abusing public authority.”
Woo Sang-ho, the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, also mentioned in a YouTube broadcast the day before, “We are closely monitoring the public sentiment,” and reported that “In some cases of candidates, I am informing the President that the public opinion trends are turning very unfavorable.”
Kang, the nominee, addressed suspicions during the confirmation hearing on the 14th that she had instructed her aides to dispose of household waste, stating, “I had taken something I ate the previous day to eat in the car. It was my mistake that I couldn’t finish it and left it in the car,” but a review of Telegram messages exchanged with the aide revealed indications of instruction rather than a request, leading to a controversy over a ‘false explanation.’