Cheong Wa Dae and Democratic Party push back against Rhyu Si-min's 'deceiving the public' claim
After writer Rhyu Si-min claimed that "the president deceived the public" in his explanation of prosecution reform (restructuring the prosecution's organization and powers), Cheong Wa Dae issued a press notice on the 24th and the Democratic Party of Korea held a press briefing at the National Assembly on the 27th, each expressing regret and rebutting the claim. At the National Assembly briefing on the 27th, Park Sung-jun, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, said, "The president's true intentions on prosecution reform must not be distorted," adding, "I hope there will be no more misleading facts with forced arguments." He noted that many citizens had sent in their opinions on prosecution reform, and that even within the Democratic and progressive camp, voices emerged calling such harsh criticism "going too far." His remarks are seen as a response to recent comments by Rhyu, who has been criticizing President Lee over prosecution reform.
Appearing on Media Today's YouTube channel on the 22nd, Rhyu argued, "The prosecution reform President Lee had in mind was completely different from the prosecution reform we envisioned," adding, "The president deceived the public." President Lee had said at a press conference on the 18th, "The ultimate goal of full-scale prosecution reform was to separate the prosecutors in charge of investigations from those in charge of prosecution, so that investigating prosecutors cannot also take on the role of indicting, and to divide the investigative body and the prosecuting body within the Ministry of Justice."
Cheong Wa Dae said in its press notice on the 24th that it regretted the distortion of the president's commitment to prosecution reform, which differs from the facts. In remarks at a meeting with compatriots in Mexico on the 24th (local time), President Lee also pointed out, citing the case of ruling-party members during the Roh Moo-hyun administration who pushed for the complete abolition of the National Security Act only to fail to remove its 'poison clauses,' that "some make excessive arguments to show off their ideological purity."
On the 28th, the civic group Citizens' Action for Judicial Justice filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Rhyu on charges of defamation through the dissemination of false information under the Information and Communications Network Act. Kim Han-me, the group's standing co-representative, argued that Rhyu's remarks disseminated false information, damaging President Lee's social reputation and honor.
On the eve of returning from his trip to the United States and Mexico, President Lee posted a lengthy message on X, saying, "I alone am not enough," and calling for public participation and action. In the post, he said that spreading the facts through comments, messages, phone calls, and social media posts, as well as hitting the like button, are important forms of action, and urged people not to blindly follow information from YouTube channels and the like.
