"Deceived the Public All Along": Writer Rhee Si-min Takes Sharp Aim at President Lee Again

Writer Rhee Si-min, who has continuously criticized President Lee Jae-myung, has now launched a direct attack, claiming that the President has been deceiving the public all along.

Appearing today (September 22) on MediaToday's YouTube broadcast "Rhee Si-min and MediaToday Discuss," writer Rhee took issue with the prosecution reform goals recently stated by President Lee during a press conference.

During a press conference on September 18, President Lee said, "The original goal was to separate prosecutors in charge of investigations from those in charge of indictments, dividing them into separate investigative and indictive bodies within the Ministry of Justice."

In response, Rhee pointed out, "The prosecution reform the President had in mind was different from the prosecution reform we envisioned," adding, "It is incorrect to say that dividing the current Prosecutors' Office into two was the maximum extent of prosecution reform."

He then stated that the President had deceived the public.

[Rhee Si-min / Writer: The President should have stated this long ago. The President has been deceiving the public up until now. I was shocked to hear the President say that during the press conference.]

Regarding the ruling bloc unity message recently issued by the President at his press conference, Rhee dismissed it, saying, "I think it was a rather meaningless remark," and "The phase where such words could salvage the situation passed long ago."

As for President Lee's call to refrain from mutual mudslinging within the ruling bloc, Rhee said, "Those who created those derogatory terms and cast stones are the people who insist that only President Lee is right," adding, "This reflects suspicions that the President may be at the center of all those events."

Diagnosing the recent decline in President Lee's approval ratings, Rhee analyzed that it was influenced by policy factors as well as the defection of his traditional supporter base.

Rhee claimed, "Many of those who have supported President Lee are standing back with their arms crossed, turning their backs, and joining in the criticism."

Since President Lee's inauguration, Rhee has consistently stood at odds with him within the broader ruling bloc over issues such as prosecution reform.

(Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Kim Min-ji | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News | Source: YouTube 'MediaToday')
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.