Seoul: Lee Hye-hoon, the nominee to lead the newly formed Ministry of Planning and Budget, is under increasing political pressure to resign following allegations of her husband's real estate speculation and her own past misconduct. Lee, who previously served as a three-term lawmaker from the conservative bloc, has faced criticism from both ruling and opposition parties since her unexpected nomination by President Lee Jae Myung.

According to Yonhap News Agency, members of the ruling Democratic Party have expressed unease over Lee's previous comments supporting former President Yoon Suk Yeol's unsuccessful martial law initiative. Meanwhile, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has labeled her as a traitor. The PPP has intensified its scrutiny ahead of Lee's confirmation hearing, highlighting audio recordings where Lee is heard harshly reprimanding an intern during her tenure in the National Assembly.

On Saturday, PPP Representative Joo Jin-woo accused Lee's husband of real estate speculation, claiming he purchased extensive land near Incheon International Airport a year before its official opening in 2001. Joo presented land registry documents indicating that Lee's husband acquired a 6,612-square-meter plot on Yeongjong Island in Incheon in 2000, at a time when the couple resided in Seoul.

The lawmaker asserted that the land was later seized by state-run land development corporations in 2006 for approximately 3.91 billion won ($2.7 million), suggesting the couple profited over three times their original investment within six years. In light of these revelations, Rep. Park Sung-hoon, the PPP's chief spokesperson, called for Lee to issue an apology and withdraw from politics.

Park remarked, "What is important is that this is not just a one-off mistake but an expression of a warped sense of privilege that tramples on the weak through the abuse of power," referring to the nominee's past treatment of her intern.