In response to the Ministry of Education's push for the dismissal of Chairman Park Ji-hyang, Park "requests to file a complaint with the Board of Audit and Inspection at the party level."

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Yullip Lee = Suspicions have been raised that the Blue House may have intervened in the background of the Ministry of Education's push to dismiss Park Ji-hyang, chairman of the Northeast Asian History Foundation.

People Power Party lawmaker Park Jeong-hoon held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 31st and said, "We have received a report that the Blue House's Office of Senior Secretary for Political Affairs is behind the Ministry of Education's unreasonable push for the dismissal of the chairman."

Rep. Park took issue with the fact that the Ministry of Education is pursuing the dismissal of Chairman Park even though the Ministry of Education's suspension of his duties had already been suspended by the Seoul Administrative Court on the 21st.

Rep. Park argues that it is difficult to explain the fact that the dismissal is being promoted even though the 'embezzlement in business' that the Ministry of Education cited as the reason for Chairman Park's suspension was judged to be 'insufficient justification' by the court without so-called 'intervention from the higher ups'.

Rep. Park said, "It was also claimed that the Ministry of Education is requesting the foundation to say, 'We are also having a difficult time. Please at least hold a board of directors (to deliberate on dismissal).'"

Rep. Park said, "The Ministry of Education's investigation (of Chairman Park) began three days after the business report on December 12, 2025, when there was controversy over President Lee Jae-myung's 'hwan-pa'," adding, "This adds weight to the suspicion that this is a 'printing by the Blue House.'"

In a work report at the end of last year, President Lee asked Chairman Park, "Isn't there some 'hwanpa (people who believe or support the contents of Hwandangogi)' regarding history education?" To which Chairman Park responded, "The arguments of professional researchers are much more persuasive than those of outside historians."

The President's Office stated at the time that the President's question was not intended to agree with Hwandangogi's claims, but controversy arose, with the People Power Party claiming that this was an attempt to distort history.

Representative Park criticized, saying, “In the past, the Minister of Environment was sentenced to two years in prison for abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights while conducting a targeted audit and pressuring the head of an affiliated organization to resign in order to oust the head of an affiliated organization whose term of office was guaranteed.” He added, “This case is much more serious than that incident.”

At the same time, they requested a party-level request for an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection, an urgent inquiry into pending issues, and a review of measures to file charges of abuse of power against those involved, including the Minister of Education.