President Lee Jae-myung said on the 28th that quoting someone's post on X, formerly Twitter, does not mean he agrees with everything that person has argued in the past.
Lee wrote the comment on X on the evening of the 28th while quoting a post from a user who had criticized him. The post read: "It seems you could judge what the person you're retweeting thinks with just one minute of effort, but you don't do it, so you'll head toward a 20% approval rating. Let's just go with it."
"Talking with someone does not mean I agree with all of that person's past conduct and remarks," Lee wrote. "My quoting your post is not because I agree with everything you write." He added: "I have neither the time nor the need to review every past post written by the author of a post I quote. We are simply communicating and talking."
The remarks are seen as a direct rebuttal after controversy over his quoting of posts on X persisted even following his recent call for supporters to refrain from using derogatory labels and hateful language in politics.
Lee had earlier drawn criticism for quoting a supporter's post that used the term "Mun-Jo-Teol-Rae-Yu," a derogatory label targeting figures in the broader ruling bloc including former President Moon Jae-in, Cho Kuk, head of the Rebuilding Korea Party's innovation institute, broadcaster Kim Eou-joon, Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae and writer Rhyu Si-min. Lee later deleted the post, saying it did "not help national unity."
Kim also publicly criticized Lee's use of X on the morning of the 28th on his YouTube channel "Kim Eou-joon's Humility Is Hard: News Factory." Kim said Lee was "trapped in an algorithm prison" and argued there was a need to examine which posts are mainly surfacing on the president's account. "He should stop retweeting," Kim said.
Lee offered a similar explanation on the 19th after the past posts and language of a particular supporter whose post he had quoted became a subject of controversy. At the time, Lee said: "When quoting someone's post on Twitter, it is impossible to check each of the author's past posts and expressions." He added: "Quoting an anonymous post means quoting the text as expressed, not supporting, defending, endorsing or sympathizing with all of the author's arguments and writings."
