· Urge Cheong Wa Dae to replace Hyun, "An outrageous remark by the head of economic affairs"
· Democratic Party, "Holding the people responsible when he is in the wrong... He should resign."

On January 23, the political circle was buzzing with the words of Hyun Oh-seok, deputy prime minister for economic affairs and the minister of strategy and finance.

Remarks such as "We cannot go along with him anymore," were openly expressed by members of the ruling party as well as the opposition parties. On January 22, Hyun made some troubling remarks on the latest information leak from the credit card companies: "Didn't they [the consumers] agree to provide the information?" "The fools argue about whose responsibility it is." His statements spread like wild fire. The Saenuri Party leaders, who were taken by surprise, criticized Hyun. This reignited a debate on Hyun's replacement, which had quieted down for a while. At the Saenuri Party supreme council meeting this day, member Lee Hye-hoon said, "His statement made the listener doubt one's ears. It was an arrogant remark disregarding the people. There is no one who would agree to Hyun's claims that the responsibility does not lie with the financial authorities, which released makeshift measures only after being pressured by public opinion two weeks after the incident surfaced." Another member, Shim Jae-chul criticized, "It is only right that we clarify whose responsibility this is. Is he planning to turn a blind eye to this issue? His statement rubbed salt in the people's wounds and poured fuel on the raging public sentiment."

Lawmaker Kim Sang-min held a separate press conference at the National Assembly and said, "It looks like the expression, having the audacity to place the blame on someone else when he himself is at fault would be appropriate in the current situation. It is indeed doubtful whether Hyun as the head of economic affairs in our government can create a government for the people."

Once again talk of replacing Hyun is being voiced in the ruling party. One senior party member said, "Based on his ability and his performance so far, he is a man who should have been replaced a long time ago." Party members are openly voicing their views that the replacement of Deputy Prime Minister Hyun and Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs Cho Won-dong is inevitable in order to prevent supporters from turning their backs months before the June 4 local elections.

A key party figure relayed, "When I asked the person who was known to have recommended Hyun to President Park Geun-hye for the post of deputy prime minister, he asked back, 'Why would I recommend such a person?'" Ruling party leaders have constantly asked Cheong Wa Dae to replace Hyun since last summer on grounds that he lacked the ability to oversee the finance ministry. They had regarded Hyun as "an incompetent headache" from the early days of the current government. However, at a cabinet meeting on July 23, 2013, President Park simply dismissed the party's request, saying, "The finance minister had had less than 4 months to handle his job, yet he has worked hard."

Talk of replacing Hyun surfaced again last August when the government's revised tax law was at the center of debate. On August 13, 2013, lawmaker Cho Won-jin publicly said, "I ask for Deputy Prime Minister Hyun Oh-seok and Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs Cho Won-dong to resign and stop burdening the president."

The Democratic Party demanded the immediate resignation of Hyun. At a policy meeting of senior party members, floor leader Jun Byung-hun criticized, "The deputy prime minister calls the people asking who is responsible for this incident foolish when he is at fault. The remarks of a foolish finance minister once again confirmed that a sloppy response by the authorities will never solve this problem." At a briefing, floor leader Park Soo-hyun said, "Deputy Prime Minister Hyun, who denounced the people as foolish for holding the heads of the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service responsible, should resign."