"President Should Leave Democratic Party" Controversy: Lee Seok-Yeon Resigns After One Year

Presidential Office Signals No Intention to Renew Term... Term Ends on the 9th
Repeated Public Criticisms Over Justice Distortion Law and Supplementary Investigation Authority

Lee Seok-Yeon, chairman of the Presidential National Integration Committee, who has openly called for President Lee Jaemyung to leave the Democratic Party and has repeatedly clashed with the government and the ruling party, is stepping down after one year in office. Chairman Lee's term is set to end on September 9, but it has been reported that after recently checking with the presidential office regarding the possibility of reappointment, he was informed that President Lee did not wish to renew his term. Lee, who was initially appointed at the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration as a symbol of "integration personnel" embracing even the conservative bloc, ultimately failed to secure reappointment after publicly criticizing key state affairs.

On the 21st, Lee Suk-Yeon, chairman of the National Integration Committee, delivered the opening remarks at the 2026 Generation Field-Type National Dialogue Gyeongsang Region Forum held at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center in Dong-gu, Busan. 2026.7.21 Yonhap News

On September 3, Chairman Lee announced on his Facebook page, "I am resigning as chairman of the Presidential National Integration Committee effective September 9, 2026." Regarding the reason for his resignation, he cited philosophical differences with the government. He said, "I have realized that this government’s thinking and philosophy regarding national integration is very different from mine," adding, "I returned to public service to be loyal to the Constitution, not to a particular administration. Under these circumstances, I wish to step down in line with the president’s wishes."

He also addressed President Lee directly, stating, "I hope that at least part of the frank advice I have offered, sometimes even at the risk of being disrespectful, will be reflected in the governance of the country," and added, "I am deeply sorry to be stepping down without having achieved my goals." It appears that the presidential office’s decision not to reconfirm his appointment played a role in his resignation. Chairman Lee explained that he recently asked President Lee about his reappointment through Hong Ik-Pyo, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs, and that on September 2 he received a response via Jeon Seong-Hwan, the senior presidential secretary for listening and integration, indicating the president did not intend to reappoint him.

Lee was selected in September last year as the first chairman of the National Integration Committee under the Lee Jaemyung administration. Although he is a conservative-leaning legal professional who previously served as head of the Ministry of Government Legislation in the Lee Myung-bak administration, he acted as a co-chair of Lee Jaemyung's presidential campaign during last year’s election, and after the administration’s launch, also served as head of the president’s special delegation to Germany. At the time, the presidential office announced his appointment, stating, "Following the president’s intent to embrace all citizens, he will play a role in uniting the people and healing social conflict."

However, after taking office, he repeatedly clashed with the government and the ruling party by opposing key policies and appointments. In January, he called for Lee Hye-Hoon, the Minister of Planning and Budget nominee, to withdraw, calling the appointment "wrong." Regarding the ‘distortion of justice’ law pushed by the Democratic Party, he described it as "a disgrace for a civilized nation," and he called for the withdrawal of the Second Special Prosecutor Act as well. In July, he publicly criticized the government and ruling party’s push to completely abolish the prosecutor's supplementary investigation authority, saying it "violates the Constitution."

The conflict with the ruling bloc came to the surface last month when he demanded President Lee leave the Democratic Party. On August 18, appearing on MBC’s "100-Minute Debate," Chairman Lee said, "Let the new Democratic Party leadership take over and the president should return as the ‘president of the people,’ not the ‘Democratic Party’s president.’ Now that the party convention is over, you should leave the Democratic Party."

The Democratic Party immediately pushed back. Party leader Kim Minseok described Chairman Lee’s statement as "based on ignorance or misunderstanding of the Constitution," refuting, "This is an argument that the party not only cannot accept but is also historically unfounded." Chairman Lee in turn responded to Kim, arguing that Kim is the one misunderstanding the Constitution, escalating the dispute into a public confrontation.

With Chairman Lee’s resignation following that of Lee Byung-Tae, former vice chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee, some are saying that the ‘integration personnel’ banner raised at the start of the Lee Jaemyung administration is now being put to the test. A ruling party insider analyzed, "President Lee appointed him to head a presidential advisory body with the intention of utilizing talent from across party lines, but as differences over the direction of national administration widened, it appears the decision was made that continuing to work together was no longer possible."

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