President Lee: "Reform Must Not Be a Tool for Attack, Will Steadfastly Pursue Pragmatic Reform"

"If a Noisy Process Only Hinders Achievements, It Should Not Be Tolerated"

President Lee Jaemyung stated, "Reform should be a goal in itself; it must not become a means to make oneself stand out, attract attention, or attack others."

On October 4, through his X (formerly Twitter) account, President Lee commented, "Reform must be undertaken for the people and the nation, not for anyone's political achievements or applause." He went on to say, "Reform should result in tangible achievements that improve the livelihoods of the people and advance the country, and should not become a noisy process that merely draws attention and hinders outcomes." He added, "We will steadfastly pursue pragmatic reforms that genuinely improve people's lives."

Yonhap News Agency

There is an interpretation that President Lee's comments were made in view of backlash from hardliners within the ruling party regarding the nomination of Kim Jiyong as head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency. President Lee has already approved the personnel hearing request for Kim, asserting that Kim cannot be seen as a so-called "pro-Yoon" prosecutor.

Nevertheless, objections continue among some within the ruling party. On October 3, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae posted on Facebook, alluding to her own past decision to appoint Kim as chief prosecutor while she served as Minister of Justice, and commented, "I admit my terrible judgment of character and beat my chest," indirectly criticizing the nomination. Lawmaker Kim Yongmin also expressed opposition, stating that Kim has "consistently opposed prosecutorial reform."

Recently, President Lee has repeatedly voiced concern over the competition for greater clarity in the reform process. At a meeting with overseas Koreans in Mexico City on September 24, he remarked, "If reform is pushed too quickly, too far, or too hastily, there will be backlash." He emphasized, "While extreme assertions to demonstrate one's clarity may seem impressive, it is difficult to achieve truly good results," and "We must produce practical and tangible outcomes while minimizing resistance and backlash."

Earlier, on September 18, President Lee confessed at a press conference, "My main concern has been that emphasizing clarity during reform could invite greater resistance, ultimately slowing down reforms and even leading to failure," and revealed, "I have focused on quietly achieving results while minimizing backlash."

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