Lee Suk-yeon, chairman of the presidential Committee for National Unity, will step down on the 9th after completing a one-year term. In a resignation statement posted on Facebook on the 3rd, Lee said he had come to realize that "this government's thinking and philosophy on national unity differ greatly from mine," adding, "I now intend to step down in accordance with the president's wishes."
Lee said he had "worked in my own way to achieve national unity on the basis of recognizing the differences each citizen holds and setting constitutional values right." He added, "I returned to public office to be loyal to the Constitution, not to be loyal to the administration." He also stressed, "If there is anything I hope for from the president, it is that he reflect, even in fragments, the candid advice I offered at the risk of discourtesy in the course of running the government." He continued, "I cannot help feeling apologetic for stepping down without having properly carried out my intentions."
Lee, who served as minister of government legislation under the Lee Myung-bak administration, is a conservative-leaning figure but is widely cited as a prime example of President Lee Jae-myung's unity-oriented appointments. Since taking office, Lee has continued to voice criticism, including opposition to abolishing supplementary investigative authority, and last month he urged President Lee to leave the Democratic Party of Korea.
