Presidential Office Denies Legal Action Against Yoo Si-min, but Intra-Bloc Tensions Loom

Yoo’s “Deceived the Public” Remarks Spark Controversy
Presidential Office: “Verifying the Facts”
“Repeated Distortion of Prosecutorial Reform”

The Office of the President has drawn a clear line regarding rumors of "considering legal action" against writer Yoo Si-min, who claimed President Lee Jae-myung's direction for prosecutorial reform was essentially deceptive to the public, stating, "No decision has been made." However, the office also said, "Unsubstantiated and slanderous claims continue," adding that it is currently checking the facts. The Office of the President’s concern is that Yoo has repeatedly misrepresented President Lee’s commitment to prosecutorial reform. Still, should it move forward with actual legal action, there is concern that internal conflict within the ruling bloc may be highlighted more than the core of the prosecutorial reform itself.

A video featuring a discussion between Lee Jae-myung, former leader and presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, writer Yoo Si-min, and scholar Kim Yong-ok on the challenges facing the new government was released on April 15th through the "A World Where People Live - Roh Moo-hyun Foundation" YouTube channel. 2025.4.15 Yonhap News

On September 24, the Office of the President stated, "We regret the distortion of the President’s intent for prosecutorial reform," and added, "We are reviewing the facts regarding the ongoing unfounded and slanderous assertions." The office also said, "No decision has been made regarding legal action." This response was issued following reports that the office was considering legal steps against Yoo.

The issue began when Yoo criticized President Lee’s remarks at a press briefing on the 22nd. During a press conference on the 18th, President Lee explained that his original vision for the maximum extent of prosecutorial reform was to separate investigative prosecutors from those handling indictments and to divide investigative and prosecutorial agencies within the Ministry of Justice. He also stated that the current reforms are "progressing even further," mentioning the transfer of investigative agencies to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Yoo argued that the President’s concept of prosecutorial reform is "completely different from what we imagined, the Democratic Party’s stance, and what was presented as the President’s campaign pledge," insisting that "the President has deceived the public until now." Regarding the explanation that President Lee’s upper limit for reform was dividing investigative and prosecutorial agencies within the Ministry of Justice, Yoo said, "I have never heard anything like that before." Some government supporters, including Yoo, consider the essence of prosecutorial reform to be the complete removal of the prosecution’s direct and supplementary investigative powers, and the full organizational separation of indictment and investigation by establishing separate agencies, the Prosecution Service and Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.

The fact that the Office of the President responded so sensitively appears to stem from this not being the first time such criticism has been raised. In July, Yoo argued that prosecutorial reform had stalled for over a year because President Lee did not truly want a complete separation of investigation and indictment. At that time, the Office of the President retorted, "We have never wavered on the core principle of separating investigation and indictment."

However, pursuing legal action is expected to introduce a separate political burden. In a climate where President Lee has recently urged supporters to refrain from emotional attacks and emphasized internal unity, engaging in a legal dispute with one of the ruling bloc's most prominent commentators could shift the debate's focus from prosecutorial reform to internal discord within the ruling camp.

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