You Si-min Warns President Lee's One-Year Approach Could Throw Political Camp into Chaos

Writer You Si-min, a liberal-leaning commentator who has been continuously criticizing President Lee Jae-myung, stated yesterday (July 23) that "the approach the president has taken over the past year could plunge the political camp into chaos and may prevent him from succeeding."

Appearing on MBC radio's "News High Kick" that day, You said, "I presume the president has the will to run the nation in a way that eases political polarization and achieves a high level of national consensus," while making the remarks.

You pointed out, "I inferred that the president has the intention to govern with the aspiration of becoming a 'president for everyone.' The issue I am raising is that when asking whether he can achieve that through the methods he has used over the past year, the answer is 'no.'"

He diagnosed, "Not only will that approach fail to achieve the goal, but it could also run counter to the demands of the public and the wishes of the supporters who rescued politician Lee Jae-myung from prosecutorial dictatorship. This could collapse his own political foundation, fail to achieve the politics of unity he envisions, and produce an outcome worse than not trying at all."

He explained, "Personally, what I hope for is that he takes a slightly safer path," adding, "It is a method of solidifying the democratic and progressive political coalition that got him elected while gradually expanding toward the center and conservatives."

He then emphasized, "A picture where the president focuses on delivering people's livelihoods and policy achievements, while the Democratic Party of Korea and the progressive camp firmly reinforce unity and solidarity to back him up, is a safe and beneficial means for President Lee."

Regarding evaluations from the ruling camp that his previously raised theories of "reconstruction" and "inevitable defeat" were curses or maledictions, he explained, "I am not casting a curse, but rather judging that the president is heading down a very, very politically dangerous path."

Regarding his previous remark that President Lee is likely to be the head of the "New Lee Jae-myung" faction, he said, "I made that remark because the president is acting like the head of a faction, and if he continues to do so, everyone will find themselves in a difficult position."

Analyzing the upcoming Democratic Party national convention, You remarked, "The president wants a specific candidate to win. Either the candidate 'picked' by the president becomes the leader, or a candidate the president did not want becomes the leader."

He projected, "If the president acknowledges that the party leader is not a subordinate and works together with them the way one breathes with career public officials, there will be no problem at all."

When asked whether he would be willing to meet if the presidential office requested a meeting to seek advice, he replied, "I have no intention of meeting," adding, "I think an official relationship is sufficient."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.