Controversy has emerged over the main opposition Democratic Party’s appointment of a left-leaning civic group leader as the head of a special innovation committee tasked with revamping the party. 

DP chair Lee Jae-myung on Monday announced the appointment of Lee Rae-kyung, the founder of  “The Tomorrow” for the head of the new organization during a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council on Monday, vowing that the leadership will respect and adhere to the innovation group’s overhaul proposals.

The appointment raised controversy over the new head’s past remarks displaying his far-left, anti-American inclinations.

When a Chinese recon balloon was shot down in the U.S. airspace in February, Lee wrote on his Facebook that the U.S., which had destroyed inter-Korean relations by fabricating the Cheonan incident, exaggerated a weather balloon blown off course as a national threat, indicating that North Korea's 2010 sinking of the South Korean naval ship Cheonan was fabricated.

He also made remarks very critical of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his policy.