President Lee Jae-myung said today (October 28), "There are those who genuinely advocate for prosecution reform for the sake of the country and the people, while there are also those who essentially hold back reform by merely emphasizing ideological purity or making excessively agitational claims for their own hidden political and personal agendas."

The remarks are interpreted as addressing internal conflicts within the ruling bloc, where hardliners have criticized the government while demanding stronger measures during the administration's prosecution reform process.

President Lee made the comments on X (formerly Twitter) while sharing a post by a netizen who wrote, "Why don't you apologize for branding your critics as the 'irresponsible extremist faction'?"

President Lee pointed out, "Freeriding on the impatient and desperate desire for reform among some citizens, stoking anxiety over the failure of reform, agitating in an 'all-or-nothing' manner as if only they are the clear agents of reform, attacking comrades who are trying to achieve real reform, and ultimately leading practical and effective reform to failure—that is irresponsible extremism."

Addressing the netizen, he added, "If you do not belong to that group, there is no reason to be upset, and if you feel displeased because you think you belong to it, I suggest you take a moment to reflect."


Meanwhile, President Lee also pushed back against criticism alleging that he was "shifting blame" regarding his remarks during a meeting with farmers and fishermen on October 26, where he stated that a complete survey of farmland had been conducted upon the proposal of Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mi-ryung.

In his post on X, President Lee explained, "Although the farmland survey would face backlash, it is the core of agricultural reform that must be done and a reform measure worthy of praise. As praise, I clarified that 'although I ordered it, it was proposed by the minister.' The whole world knows the president directly ordered it in a public meeting, and having a separate proposer does not lessen my responsibility."

President Lee noted, "When I informed that the project was proposed by the minister, some media outlets criticized it as shifting responsibility. I question whether they actually watched my remarks at the Cabinet meeting and wrote with minimal journalistic ethics. Demanding that I refrain from using social media to communicate directly with the public while distorting facts like this is tantamount to telling me to just take the hits without resisting even when being beaten."

He also added, "It reminds me of the time when people claimed 'saying you like jajangmyeon means belittling jjamppong,' and when 'badmouthing the president was a national sport.'"

He also addressed a media report regarding his comments on hiring domestic versus foreign workers.

During the Cabinet meeting the previous day, while discussing public jobs, President Lee said, "Whether it's agriculture, forestry, livestock, or fisheries, we must revive them all. Bringing in foreign workers to do the work does not help the national economy much, because they remit all their wages."

Following this, one media outlet reported that migrant worker groups and others were pushing back, under the headline, "'Foreign Workers Do Not Help the National Economy'... Deluge of Criticism over President Lee's Remarks."

In response, President Lee wrote on X, "There is a significant difference between saying 'does not help' (in the article's headline) and 'does not help much' (the actual remarks at the Cabinet meeting). Even within the same article, the content of the body differs from the headline. As a media outlet striving for fair and accurate reporting, I believe you will correct the article and apologize."

He further explained, "Given the context of the remarks, it is clear comparative rhetoric that while foreign workers do help, they do not help 'as much' compared to domestic workers. Criticizing under the premise that I said 'they do not help' is excessive."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)