President Lee Jae-myung stated, "I trust that this would not be the case, but by any chance, one must not attempt to influence personnel decisions or even specific investigative and prosecutorial operations for self-interest under the pretext of prosecution reform."

President Lee wrote this in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that day, adding, "In all public affairs, including state administration, the most important thing is to distinguish between public and private matters and cast aside self-interest."

President Lee emphasized, "Prosecution reform is undertaken for the people, not to build the political legacy of specific individuals," and added, "It is even more wrong to disparage others' efforts as 'useless' or even an obstacle in an attempt to monopolize achievements that everyone worked together to build."

This is seen as targeting hardliners within the ruling party, including Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae, who continues to push back against the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as the nominee for head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, despite the recent statement released by Cheong Wa Dae.

Along with the post, President Lee also shared a video of Gangwon Province Governor Woo Sang-ho—who coordinated with the Democratic Party of Korea on prosecution reform as senior presidential secretary for political affairs last year—refuting party criticisms that 'the administration dragged its feet to avoid carrying out reforms.'

President Lee emphasized, "The administration did not drag its feet; in accordance with the agreement between the party and the government, we achieved a complete separation of investigation and indictment more swiftly and thoroughly than any previous government, and went beyond what many initially envisioned (not me) to separate the affiliated ministries."

Regarding whether to keep the investigative and prosecutorial bodies under the Ministry of Justice or separate their ministerial affiliations, writer Rhyu Si-min recently criticized, saying, "The president has deceived the public until now." President Lee's addition of 'not me' is interpreted as an intention to refute this claim.

President Lee said, "The tasks of prosecution reform have been institutionally completed by law," adding, "What remains is to ensure that the investigative functions of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Major Crimes Investigation Agency and the prosecutorial functions of the Ministry of Justice's Prosecution Agency operate properly."

Recently, President Lee has been posting consecutive messages on X seemingly targeting party hardliners, stating, "We must always guard against irresponsible extremism," and "Reform must be the objective; it should not be a tool to display ideological purity, draw attention, or attack someone."

(Photo: Cheong Wa Dae Press Corps, Yonhap News)