Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, called on party members to show restraint over an internal dispute surrounding writer Rhyu Si-min, a progressive commentator who has criticized the Lee Jae-myung administration. "I would like us to point out the other side's problems and work through them while also minimizing derogatory labels," Kim said.
Speaking on the Democratic Party's YouTube channel "Minty07" on the 28th, Kim responded to a party member's view that legal action against Rhyu was necessary. "It would be better to start by minimizing expressions that the other side may find uncomfortable," he said. He added, "First, I would like us to point out the other side's problems and work through them while minimizing what are commonly called derogatory labels, and we will do so ourselves." The remarks were a call for restraint, as disparaging terms such as "Mun-Jo-Teol-Lae-Yu" — a pejorative coinage combining the names of Moon Jae-in, Cho Kuk, Kim Eo-jun, Jung Chung-rae and Rhyu Si-min — have been further fueling conflict within the broader ruling bloc.
Kim specifically mentioned "Yusa-simin," a derogatory term Democratic Party supporters use to refer to Rhyu. "Going through the party convention, I learned that considerably different views exist within the party," he said. "Wouldn't it be good to keep that in mind?"
Responding to calls for legal action at the party level, Kim said, "The party has procedures set out in its charter and rules, and we are proceeding in accordance with them." He added, "We are handling and will continue to handle all of these various matters."
Kim also said the party would begin dealing more actively with inter-Korean relations and a peace regime, following President Lee's keynote address to the U.N. General Assembly. "Now it is about a peace regime," he said, citing North Korea's advancing nuclear program and Pyongyang's doctrine of two hostile states. On the deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz and the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, he said, "Self-reliant security must be further strengthened, and at the same time, this can ultimately be resolved only by establishing peace."
"We mainly deal with livelihood issues or domestic democracy, but in the larger framework, the issues of peace, the nation and inter-Korean relations must ultimately be resolved," he said. "The party will take up that issue somewhat more actively."
