Fallout is continuing within the ruling camp over writer Rhyu Si-min's criticism of President Lee Jae-myung as an "arrogant power holder." Within the ruling Democratic Party, lawmakers sharply pushed back, calling Rhyu's remarks "baseless conjecture and curses" and "insulting attacks," while lawmakers of the pro-Jeong faction — allied with Jeong Cheong-rae — also distanced themselves, saying they found it "hard to agree."
"President Picking the Party Leader Is a Move Toward Monarchy"
The controversy began with remarks Rhyu made on the 24th on the YouTube channel "Jang In-soo's The Journalist." Asked to give an overall assessment of the Democratic Party's August 17 national convention, Rhyu said, "For the president to pick the ruling party leader and try to get that person elected is a move toward monarchy or aristocracy," and criticized it as "forcing party members into an extremely painful choice." The comment targeted the election of party leader Kim Min-seok, who had served as the administration's first prime minister.
He also pointed out, "What the convention confirmed is that the party has lost half of its members," adding, "This is extremely damaging to the president, and I don't understand why he is doing this to himself." Drawing a comparison to the process of pushing out People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, he argued, "The anti-Lee bloc has also been dismantled, and things are heading into a very unstable phase."
"'Myung Pick' Means Automatic Nomination? A Party That Has Lost Its Mind"
Rhyu's remarks grew harsher as he referred to the nominations for the by-elections last June. Citing lawmaker Kim Nam-gook, who won his race, he described the Democratic Party as "a party that has lost its mind." Rhyu criticized, "A 'Myung pick' simply gets strategic nomination. He resigned from the presidential office, and as soon as he came out he was made party spokesperson and given a strategic nomination in the local elections. In the Democratic Party I know, this could not happen under normal circumstances."
Of former leader Jeong Cheong-rae, who lost to Kim, Rhyu offered a positive assessment: "I thought clearing 40% [of the vote] would count as a success, and it came in higher than expected." Rhyu said, "Kim ran as a 'proxy for the president,'" adding, "I thought it would be hard for Jeong to be elected." Analyzing the final outcome of the convention, he said, "Party members agonized and gave about 54% to elect the person the president picked, while keeping the non-mainstream faction alive with 46%, including three supreme council members."
Ruling Party Says "You Don't Spit in a Well," Pro-Jeong Faction Says "I Don't Agree"
Once Rhyu's remarks became known, the ruling party unleashed strong criticism. Kim, whom Rhyu directly targeted, countered, "I find it hard to understand why he would make remarks so clearly intended to shake the government." Appearing on KBS Radio that day, he said, "I don't understand how someone can criticize the Lee Jae-myung administration for two hours straight," adding, "I wonder whether he ever delivered criticism of this intensity, for this length of time, and this sharp during the past Yoon Suk-yeol administration."
Park Hong-keun, the minister of the Office of Budget and Planning and a Democratic Party member, wrote on Facebook that regarding Rhyu, "The point I found most jarring was his comparing President Lee to Yoon Suk-yeol, the ringleader of an insurrection." He said, "This is a government that is barely a year old. It is a well that Rhyu helped dig as well. Should you spit in that well just because you don't like it?"
Fellow party member and lawmaker Jeong Jin-wook also wrote on Facebook, "Rhyu Si-min is now a shaman, not a writer," saying, "Apart from saying 'See, I was right,' Rhyu has nothing left to contribute to this world."
Han Min-soo, a supreme council member of the pro-Jeong faction, said on SBS Radio, "It is merely Rhyu's own judgment, and I do not agree," distancing himself by adding, "Rhyu spoke his own thoughts as a critic, but judging things that way doesn't look good, and I question whether everything he says is right."
