Lee Encourages Cheon Junho: "The Hardest Arrows to Take Are Those Flying at You from Behind"

"Thank you for working hard to stand by my side"
Shares video recalling passage of arrest consent motion
Cheon Junho strongly rebuts Choi Minhee's claim in video that "Lee opposed impeachment"

President Lee Jaemyung shared a video of Cheon Junho, who served as his chief of staff when he was party leader, and said on November 14, "As always, the hardest arrows to take are the ones flying at you from behind." He was publicly encouraging Cheon, the Democratic Party of Korea's senior deputy floor leader for operations, after Cheon recalled the September 2023 vote in which defections from the party led to the passage of a motion consenting to Lee's arrest. In the same broadcast, Cheon also rebutted Democratic Party Supreme Council member Choi Minhee's claim that Lee had opposed impeaching former President Yoon.

(Source: President Lee Jaemyung's X)

That afternoon, Lee shared part of a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing Cheon appearing on the Democratic Party's YouTube program "Minti07." Recalling the vote on the motion to consent to arrest, Cheon said, "Looking back now, it was truly a horrifying thing." At the time, the motion passed in a National Assembly plenary session with 149 votes in favor. That was one vote more than the 148 needed for passage, with votes in favor from Democratic Party members deciding the outcome.

Looking back on the period when he was attacked with a weapon and faced prosecution and indictment, Lee said, "You worked hard to stand by my side as my chief of staff, giving me steadfast support." He added, "Because you were by my side, Assemblyman Cheon, you too became a target of the politically motivated prosecution and even received a summons." He continued, "Let us overcome any obstacles wisely and faithfully carry out the work entrusted to us by the people."

In light of the video he shared, Lee's reference to "arrows flying at you from behind" appears to mean defections within the party during the vote on the motion to consent to arrest. The remark has drawn attention amid recent tensions within the Democratic Party because Cheon, whom Lee encouraged, publicly rebutted Choi's claim the previous day. Cheon, who was the party's strategy and planning committee chair during the December 3 emergency martial law, said Lee had never once said he opposed impeaching former President Yoon after the martial law declaration. He also called for a firm response from the party, pointing to the repercussions of remarks by party leaders.

Earlier, after Choi's remarks were reported on November 12, Kang Yujeong, senior presidential secretary for public communications, called them "completely unfounded" and expressed strong regret. Choi apologized, saying she had become confused during the exchange. After party leader Kim Minseok ordered the party's Ethics and Inspection Committee to investigate, Choi and Supreme Council members Lee Seongyun and Han Minsu skipped the Supreme Council meeting on November 14 and held a separate press conference, criticizing Kim's management of the party and his order for an investigation. Lee, however, did not directly mention Choi or the investigation in his post that day.

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