"Even party members have reached their breaking point" — 40% of comments

An online sentiment analysis of reactions to the ruling party leadership's pressure on hardline members within the party — following President Lee Jae-myung's remarks about 'internal attacks' — found that critical comments, such as "even party members have reached their tipping point," accounted for 40% of the total, according to a tally compiled on the 13th. Big Data News analyzed articles from October 12 through 11 a.m. on the 13th using the keywords "Kim Min-seok" and "tipping point," finding 41 articles, 1,233 comments, and 810 reactions across the portals Naver, Daum, and Nate. By sentiment, negative reactions dominated, with Naver's "Downcast" at 40.25% (326) and Daum's "Angry" at 40.00% (324). These were followed by "Like" at 6.79% (55), "Fully Sympathize" at 5.80% (47), "Want Follow-up" at 3.46% (28), and "Fascinating" at 2.10% (17).

The comment sentiment reflects reactions to President Lee Jae-myung and the ruling party leadership's pressure on hardline factions within the party. After the president posted on social media on the 9th criticizing 'internal attacks,' Kim Min-seok, the party chairman, appeared on the party's official YouTube channel on the 12th and pointed out that during the prosecution reform process, the logic and targets of criticism kept shifting, with attacks continuing against the president and the leadership. He said, "Many people feel that we have reached the tipping point of our efforts, having asked for restraint both directly and through those close to them."

At the core of the hardliners' criticism is the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae and lawmakers Kim Yong-min and Lee Sung-yoon have demanded the nomination be withdrawn. Hardliner backlash over instructions to audit Lim Eun-jung, chief of the Gwangju District Branch of the Investigation Office, is another axis of the conflict.

Many comments rebutted the leadership's logic. A Chosun Ilbo article dated the 12th drew the most comments on Naver, with 560 comments and 322 reactions, including one reading, "The intimidation has gone too far — they're picking a fight with the people." Another reaction asked, "What is the real reason Lee Jae-myung and Kim Min-seok are going all-in on Kim Ji-yong?" On Daum, the most-commented article received a top-rated comment reading, "The people's patience has reached its tipping point" (70 recommendations) — a direct return of the party chairman's own words.

There were also comments that appeared to come from supporters of the ruling party. Remarks such as "It's not intimidation — it's a failure of friend-or-foe identification" (30 recommendations) and "Please, if you want the Lee Jae-myung government to succeed, get your friend-or-foe identification right" (21 recommendations) defended the president over the leadership while expressing fatigue with the internal strife.