Rhyu Si-min: 'New Lee Jae-myung' Actions Are Not Just 'Pro-Lee' Ranting, But Planned by the President

Writer Rhyu Si-min, a political commentator often associated with the broader ruling bloc who has previously criticized President Lee Jae-myung by raising theories of 'reconstruction' and 'inevitable defeat,' claimed yesterday (July 21) that "the actions taken by the so-called 'New Lee Jae-myung' faction are not merely rants by self-proclaimed pro-Lee supporters, but are being planned and initiated by the President and certain aides unknown to us."

Appearing on a YouTube channel that day, Rhyu stated, "I have concluded that the leader of the 'New Lee Jae-myung' forces is likely President Lee Jae-myung himself, rather than people like Representative Lee Un-ju (who are referred to as pro-Lee)."

'New Lee Jae-myung' refers to a group of party members within the Democratic Party who support the President's line of expanding the party's outreach and promoting integration.

They generally hold moderate positions on issues such as prosecution reform and take a cautious approach to matters like a potential merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party.

Furthermore, Rhyu argued, "I believe the President holds a position against the complete separation of investigation and indictment," adding, "My hypothesis is that (the President) wants to keep the prosecution's investigative powers intact."

Regarding the process of pushing related bills, he said, "Clouds of suspicion began to grow," and added, "Seeing them introduce amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act that do not even align with the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) laws, and then mentioning supplementary investigation rights, it is time to view this as the President's decision."

He continued, "If you do not offer any criticism and do not place any restrictions, everything in the fish market will rot," adding, "Before the stench of rot spreads, it must be purified quickly. Someone with a keen sense of smell must speak up."

He further pointed out, "If people start saying, 'You are damaging the reputation of our fish market' or 'Isn't this anti-fish market agitation?' and drive the person out, then no one will be able to speak up anymore. After that, everything just rots away."

He also noted, "I hear people still talk about getting their heads cut off these days," but added, "However, we have entered an era where it is okay to criticize those in power."

This is interpreted as a remark aimed at Representative Song Young-gil, a candidate for the Democratic Party leadership, who mentioned the so-called 'Myeong-Cheong (President Lee Jae-myung and Representative Jung Chung-rae) War' on July 14, stating, "In the past, this would be a situation where one would have to be beheaded as a traitor to suppress it."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.