Ruling Party Members Hit Back at Rhyu Si-min Over 'Monarchy' Criticism, Telling Him to 'Join Insurrection Forces'

▲ Rhyu Si-min

Strong backlash emerged from parts of the ruling camp today (August 25) after liberal commentator Rhyu Si-min made a comeback following the August 17 national convention, claiming that "for a president to pick and elect a party leader is a monarchy."

Planning and Budget Minister Park Hong-keun, a member of the ruling Democratic Party, criticized Rhyu's remarks on Facebook, saying, "The most baffling point was him comparing President Lee Jae-myung to insurrection ringleader Yoon Suk Yeol," calling it "absurd conjecture and curses."

He continued by asking, "Has President Lee mobilized public power to commit political oppression, has his spouse caused state affairs interference, has he caused a diplomatic disaster during an overseas trip, or has he plotted martial law to physically eliminate opponents?" adding that it was "a deeply insulting criticism."

He stated, "This is a government that has only been in office for a year. It is a well that Rhyu dug together. Should you spit in a well just because you don't like it?"

Rep. Jung Jin-uk of the same party launched a fierce attack on Facebook the same day, writing, "Rhyu Si-min is no longer a writer, but a shaman," and adding, "Apart from saying 'See, I was right,' Rhyu has nothing to contribute to this world."

Rep. Park Jie-won also directly targeted Rhyu, saying, "For President Lee, whose term has just barely exceeded one year, constructive criticism is better medicine than ill wishes and curses," and adding, "If you truly intend to shake President Lee and help the insurrection forces seize power, come out of the closet and take that path."

Rep. Jeon Jin-sook diagnosed on Facebook, "Rhyu, who previously talked about the 'inevitable failure' of the Lee Jae-myung administration, has now set out to cause division by disparaging the Honam region and the Democratic Party's national convention."

Regarding Rhyu comparing President Lee to former President Yoon Suk Yeol the previous day, she added, "This goes beyond the bounds of healthy criticism and effectively steps onto the path of anti-Lee Jae-myung sentiments. I ask writer Rhyu Si-min to exercise self-restraint now."

However, Rep. Han Min-soo, a Supreme Council member close to Chung Cheong-rae, appeared on SBS Radio's Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show today and reacted by saying, "Rhyu is neither an elected official, an appointed official, nor a public servant of our Lee Jae-myung administration, nor is he a practical politician. He expressed his thoughts as a critic."

Previously, while criticizing President Lee once again, Rhyu commented on the pro-Chung faction securing a certain level of support at the national convention, saying, "They kept the non-mainstream alive at a level much higher than my expectations, so I thought the Democratic Party members were quite wonderful."

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