President Lee Jae-myung Maintains Stance on Peaceful Coexistence Policy

Overcoming 'Shouts Without Echo'... Maintaining Policy Stance on Peace and Coexistence

President Lee Jae-myung urged the military command to remain dedicated during a ceremony on the 7th where he accepted promotion reports from newly promoted generals and awarded them the Samjeong-Geom (Sword of Three Integrity). This follows his instruction to swiftly promote the integration of military academies to restore trust in the military, given during a Ministry of National Defense report on the 5th, where he criticized the responsibility of army academy graduates by referencing three past military coups. These series of measures, urging self-reflection and organizational restructuring within the military, are interpreted as an attempt to restore the damaged trust between the people and the military caused by past martial law incidents.

The stance on excluding political strife from security and diplomatic sectors is also clear. President Lee recently noted that the Ministry of Unification's efforts can sometimes feel like a 'shout without an echo.' Nevertheless, he emphasized the need to persistently continue policies of peace and coexistence with patience. This demonstrates a diplomatic approach of practical action, aiming to continuously drive an atmosphere of dialogue and reconciliation even if immediate visible results are lacking on the North Korean issue. Ultimately, based on the recognition that peace is synonymous with the economy, he is building a long-term security strategy that does not obsess over short-term achievements.

Revision of Criminal Procedure Act and Implementation of Policies Perceived by the Public

In domestic affairs, the administration is placing weight on realizing judicial justice and protecting victims. During reports from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 5th, President Lee mentioned the scope of prosecutors' direct investigations, stating that 'justice must inevitably be served.' This reflects the will to establish a fair judicial system by rationally adjusting the prosecution's investigative authority. In particular, he strongly ordered the practical effectiveness of policies directly linked to the public's daily lives. On the 6th, he unequivocally stated that policies started with good intentions are worse than not doing them at all if the public does not feel the effects or if they rather cause harm to their lives. He instructed to maximize synergies between support policies of various ministries, revealing an intent to meticulously organize systems.

This same principle is being applied to disaster response. To preemptively respond to national disasters such as heatwaves and droughts, he presided over the first pan-governmental countermeasure meeting on the 6th. Through the meeting, he inspected a field-centered damage prevention and rapid recovery system, going beyond simply establishing countermeasures. Following recent concentrated rainfall damage, he designated four jurisdictions in Andong City and Uiseong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, as special disaster zones, ensuring swift support and recovery at the national level. This move is analyzed as an effort to eliminate administrative blind spots and secure substantive public safety.

Competition to Politicize State Affairs... Ripple Effects on Honam Political Landscape

The main opposition party, the People Power Party, stands in direct opposition to the government's major policy directions. Regarding housing supply measures, they defined the Lee Jae-myung administration as a president who has virtually given up on supplying housing. They did not hold back criticism that it would repeat the failures of the real estate policies experienced under the past Moon Jae-in administration. The opposition is strategically using the public's current economic anxiety and housing instability as a political attack to highlight the limitations of the ruling power. This political pressure is expected to intensify further during future budget processing or National Assembly hearings.

Within the ruling party, competition for the next party leadership is in full swing. The battle to win the support of party members, centered in the Honam region, is fierce. In a recent poll, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok took the lead with 47.5% support, followed closely by Rep. Jeong Cheol-rae at 34.4% and Rep. Song Young-gil at 14.6%. During this process, Rep. Jeong Cheol-rae called for fair primaries to prevent candidate consolidation or opinion rigging. As the ruling party's internal cohesion is essential for President Lee's governance to operate stably, the conflict patterns regarding the party convention are projected to have a significant impact on the driving force of state administration moving forward.