Ryu Si-min Criticizes President Lee's Outreach Strategy One Month Before Democratic Party Convention

With the Democratic Party of Korea's national convention exactly one month away on August 17, political commentator Ryu Si-min has once again criticized President Lee's strategy of expanding the party's outreach. This has sparked signs of an intensifying ideological clash within the race for party leadership.

Within the party, there is a stark contrast in reactions. Pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jae-myung) members are fiercely criticizing Ryu, calling his remark that the President's path is a "recipe for certain defeat" as "crossing the line." Meanwhile, the pro-Jung (pro-Jung Chung-rae) faction has avoided direct responses, instead emphasizing the need for clear-cut reform.

Kang Deuk-gu, a Supreme Council member and aide to party leadership candidate former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, criticized Ryu's remarks on an SBS radio program today, stating, "I believe he has crossed the line of decency. In particular, his comments regarding the President are largely disconnected from reality and distorted, making them difficult to resonate with the public."

Representative Song Young-gil also met with reporters after registering his candidacy at the party's central headquarters in Yeouido, noting, "While I understand the sincerity behind Mr. Ryu's criticism, expressing it in such a way that sounds like curses and malicious remarks is inappropriate."

Representative Kim Nam-jun, an aide to President Lee, also wrote on Facebook, "Mr. Ryu's remarks are closer to vitriol that increases the number of enemies of reform rather than constructive criticism for reform," adding, "Do not distort the President's words to turn him into an enemy."

Representative Ko Min-jung, a pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) party leadership candidate, also addressed Ryu's comments after registering her candidacy, stating, "Trying to divide everything into good and evil is actually the path to certain defeat."

On the other hand, former party leader Jung Chung-rae declined to comment specifically on Ryu's remarks when meeting with reporters after a National Assembly forum on prosecution reform today, saying, "I will offer no comment."

Instead, he wrote on Facebook today, "Prosecution reform is the flag and symbol of the Democratic Party's identity. If we fail to achieve this, the Democratic Party will be ignored and abandoned by its supporters," reiterating his demand for the complete abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights.

Pro-Jung Representative Choi Min-hee also stated on Facebook, "Has the prosecution, which holds both investigation and indictment powers, ever protected the socially vulnerable?" adding, "It is painful that a bill to maintain the prosecution's investigative powers has emerged from within the Democratic Party."

In this regard, Ryu claimed yesterday while criticizing President Lee's stance that "the reason prosecution reform has not been achieved for over a year is because the President does not want the complete separation of investigation and indictment."

Some within the party interpret Ryu's repeated criticism of President Lee's outreach strategy—following his previous mentions of the so-called ABC theory and reconstruction theory—as an attempt to support a specific candidate.

Analysts suggest this may be a strategic move to consolidate the party's traditional hard-line support base.

However, there are mixed forecasts regarding the effectiveness of this strategy, as it could potentially trigger a counter-mobilization of supporters who oppose Ryu's views.

Amidst this, the Democratic Party began accepting candidate registrations for the national convention today for a two-day period, officially kicking off the campaign.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.