President Lee Jae-myung said the biggest obstacle to reform is "obstructing reform in the name of reform." With his approval rating recently falling below 40%, the remarks are read as an attempt to underscore that his commitment to reform remains firm, while also targeting hardliners within the broader ruling bloc who accuse him of retreating from reform.
Lee made the comment on the 12th on X, formerly Twitter, as he shared a post by Park Tae-hoon, head of the Youth Today Research Institute, arguing that the president's reform drive must be carried through to success. "There is not a single thing wrong in what you say," Lee wrote. Park, a former deputy spokesperson for the Progressive Party, wrote in the post that "what hurts more than enemies outside are the words that shake us from within," citing writer Rhyu Si-min's remark about "the stench of a rotten fish market."
Lee said, "I have never for a moment abandoned the goals and values of reform," adding that "reform must be delicate and procedural, built on the broadest possible consensus, and must prove itself through effective results while minimizing pain and resistance." He also stressed that "we must guard against exploiting the sincere aspirations of some who desire revolutionary change, and against radical agitation that displays one's own ideological purity, which invites resistance and counter-mobilization and ultimately obstructs reform and provokes a backlash."
He continued that "public office must serve everyone," saying that "appointing people simply because they are close, even when they are corrupt and incompetent, is a shortcut to failure and the attitude of a conqueror rather than a representative."
Lee's remarks are read as reflecting criticism within progressive circles that reform is in retreat, over prosecution reform measures such as the revised organizational plan for the new public prosecution office and the nomination of a former prosecutor as the first head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency. Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae the same day did not hesitate to criticize Lee directly, saying, "If someone who was in the same boat as Han Dong-hoon becomes the first head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, is that democratization? The insurrection forces must be punished, so why the hesitation?" Lee's remarks are interpreted instead as emphasizing the need to guard against radical agitation carried out in the name of reform tasks.
The People Power Party criticized Lee, saying he "still does not know what the public wants." Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook: "Branding citizens who own homes as 'devils' — that is exactly 'radical agitation.'" He added that "words and deeds differ, and the public's patience is running out."
