Jang Dong-hyuk slams Lee Jae-myung's budget speech: "He just said whatever he wanted and left"
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk on Sunday criticized President Lee Jae-myung's address on the 2027 budget proposal, saying he "just said whatever he wanted to say and left." In a Facebook post written shortly after the morning speech, Jang noted that the more than 7,000-character speech made no mention of real estate, the stock market, North Korea, or public safety, adding that the president "did not say a single word the people wanted to hear." He continued, "It was hard just to sit through it. Were the Democratic Party lawmakers' applause really sincere?" Summarizing the address in three lines, he mocked it as: "'My mistakes, who knows—I'll just carry on as before.' 'The people, who knows—I'll just live comfortably myself.' 'Tomorrow, who knows—I'll spend everything today and be done with it.'" He added, "Isn't this a test of the people's patience at this point?"
Jang's criticism predated the Facebook post, as he had already blasted the address earlier that morning at the party's supreme council meeting. There, he warned, "If he once again does nothing but pat himself on the back and treats the people like pigs, this address will become a declaration of the end of his administration." The remark was a jab at President Lee, who the previous day had responded to criticism of his overseas trips by saying, "As the saying goes, to a ministry's eyes only ministries appear, and to a pig's eyes only pigs appear—people see only as much as they know."
The opposition's criticism also extended to the budget's size. Jang claimed, "The government has put forward a record-high budget of 820.9 trillion won. It is scheming to hand out money by riding on the semiconductor boom," adding, "After botching the economy locally, it now plans to botch South Korea on an even grander scale." People Power Party spokesperson Cho Yong-sul said in a statement the same day, "Rather than showing up at the National Assembly like a conquering general trying to fill the president's own pockets, he should first look into the state of the nation's coffers, which underpin the people's future." He also urged the government to "boldly cut unnecessary spending and pivot toward strengthening fiscal health for future generations." Reform Party chief spokesperson Lee Dong-hoon also issued a statement, pointing out, "It is common sense to pay down debt first when money comes in. The semiconductor boom may end, but spending once started is not easily reduced. If tax revenues fall short, who will foot the bill?"
