You Si-min Says President Lee's Style Over Past Year Could 'Throw Camp into Chaos'

Writer You Si-min, a pan-ruling-bloc commentator who has been repeatedly criticizing President Lee Jae-myung, stated yesterday (the 23rd) that "the way the President has operated over the past year could throw the camp into chaos and might prevent him from succeeding on his own."

Appearing on MBC Radio's "News High Kick" that day, You said, "I presume the President has the will to ease political polarization and run the country so that national consensus can be achieved at a high level," while making the remarks.

You pointed out, "I inferred that the President intends to run state affairs with the orientation of becoming a 'president for everyone.' My concern is that when asking whether he can achieve that through the methods he has used over the past year, the answer is 'no.'"

He went on to diagnose, "Not only will that approach fail to achieve the goal, but it could also run counter to the public demands and the wishes of the support base that rescued politician Lee Jae-myung from prosecutorial dictatorship. This may erode his own political base, prevent him from achieving the politics of unity he envisions, and result in an outcome worse than not having tried at all."

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

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

Regarding evaluations within the ruling bloc that his previously raised "reconstruction theory" and "inevitable defeat theory" amounted to curses and ill wishes, he explained, "I am not casting curses; I judge that the President is heading down a politically perilous path."

Regarding his earlier remarks that President Lee is likely to be the head of the "New Lee Jae-myung" faction, he said, "Because the President is acting like the head of a faction, I made the point that doing so will make things difficult for everyone."

Analyzing the upcoming Democratic Party national convention, You stated, "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 then forecasted, "If the President acknowledges that the party leader is not a subordinate and works together in sync much like professional public officials, there will be no problem."

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