Yoo Seung-min: "Is President Lee Unable to Simply Say, 'I Will Stand Trial After My Term, So Do Not Cancel the Indictment'?"

"Conservatives Must Come to Their Senses and Regain Public Trust"

Yoo Seung-min, former member of the People Power Party, criticized President Lee Jae-myung's first anniversary press conference on June 8, saying, "It sounds like arrogance, as if he intends to ignore the warning from the public in the election and stick to his own way."

On this day, through social media, Yoo stated, "The president says he will push ahead with the special prosecutor bill to dismiss his own indictment—a law that would allow him to abolish his own trial," adding, "In Korea, the only citizen who can cancel the indictment and abolish his own trial is President Lee Jae-myung." He went on to argue, "This is clearly an abuse of public office for private gain—an act of power corruption."

Previously, President Lee had commented regarding the special prosecutor for indictment dismissal, "A large-scale joint investigation team, including the prosecution and police under my direction, could get to the bottom of the matter, or a neutral special prosecutor appointed by the National Assembly could do it. Which option is better?" He continued, "From the perspective of the public and the opposition, wouldn't it be better if a neutral special prosecutor handled it?" Lee also said, "Numerous lawsuits and accusations have been filed, and various questions have been raised," and added, "I think the National Assembly can consider these points and make a decision."

In response, Yoo remarked, "He ultimately cannot simply say, 'I will do my best during my term and sincerely stand trial after my term ends, so do not cancel the indictment.'"

Yoo Seungmin, former member of the People Power Party. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

He also criticized the president's remarks on real estate.

Regarding President Lee's comment that "the easiest thing is to increase supply" in the real estate market, Yoo said, "There is nothing more difficult than increasing the supply of housing in the Seoul metropolitan area." Yoo pointed out, "What the Democratic Party governments have always called 'the easiest thing' has always been more regulation and taxes, and it seems that the administration is stubbornly trying to repeat the failed policies of the Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in governments." On the issue of the jeonse crisis, which was described as "normalization," Yoo argued, "Ignoring the fact that the jeonse system is a good tool for ordinary middle-class citizens to achieve the dream of homeownership is nothing more than stubbornness."

He also expressed disappointment that there was no mention of other urgent national issues requiring reform, such as labor, education, childcare, low birth rate, pensions, or healthcare.

He added, "After hearing the president's thoughts today, I am left with the bitter realization that this level of election result was far from enough to serve as a wake-up call for this administration," and continued, "This is why the conservative bloc must come to its senses, regain the public's trust, and become an alternative that offers hope."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.