Chae Hyun-il: internal disputes could erode reform momentum

Park Ji-won: 'Why focus only on the dirt under the fingernail?'

Writer Yu Si-min. [Captured from Media Today YouTube channel]
Writer Yu Si-min. [Captured from Media Today YouTube channel]

After writer Yu Si-min criticized President Lee Jae-myung's remarks on prosecution reform, saying he had "deceived the public," the Democratic Party of Korea on Friday expressed concern that the comments could sap momentum for the reform effort.

Democratic Party spokesperson Shin Hyun-young told reporters at the National Assembly that day that President Lee was likely "quite hurt or taken aback" upon seeing Yu's remarks.

Shin also said this is "a critical period for prosecution reform to take root on the ground," and warned that remarks like "deceived the public" — which she said did not fully reflect reality — risked giving supporters and the broader public a distorted impression, potentially undermining the drive for prosecution reform.

On the question of whether Cheong Wa Dae was considering legal action against Yu, Shin said she believed a court battle could be avoided "if we explain things fully and transparently and make clear that prosecution reform will move forward."

Democratic Party lawmakers also weighed in on Yu's criticism, calling for unity within the party's base. Lawmaker Chae Hyun-il wrote on Facebook that declaring the president had "deceived the public," without regard for the full context, was like "seeing only the tree of a past remark while missing the forest of progress on prosecution reform."

"Productive criticism is welcome, but wasteful internal disputes must stop," Chae said, adding that "draining conflicts within our own ranks could end up eating away at the hard-won momentum for reform."

Five-term lawmaker Park Ji-won also posted on Facebook on Thursday, writing: "Look at the full moon. Why focus only on the dirt under the fingernail?" He added: "This is too much."

Park went on to say that Yu was "going far beyond excess — it is a serious distortion — to seize on a trivial slip of the tongue regarding President Lee Jae-myung's prosecution reform," and urged Yu, a former cabinet minister under the Roh Moo-hyun government, to "compare the present, when the prosecution as it was no longer exists and its monopoly on investigative and indictment powers has been dismantled."


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