The Blue House is reportedly considering legal action against author Yoo Si-min, who criticized President Lee Jae-myung's remarks on judicial reform as "deceiving the public."
According to Yonhap News on the 24th, the Blue House believes Yoo has misinterpreted the President's vision for judicial reform, distorting his intentions. A ruling party official stated, "The Blue House takes Yoo's claims seriously, as they distort President Lee's commitment to judicial reform," adding that legal measures are being reviewed.
The controversy began with President Lee's remarks during a press conference on the 18th, where he stated, "The goal of judicial reform is to separate investigation and prosecution." He explained that the ultimate aim is to divide the roles of prosecutors handling investigations from those responsible for prosecutions, as well as to separate investigative and prosecutorial agencies within the Ministry of Justice.
President Lee further noted that the current reform proposals have progressed beyond that, stating, "Now, prosecutors cannot conduct investigations at all, and all investigative agencies are under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety."
In response, Yoo appeared on the Media Today YouTube channel on the 22nd, asserting, "The judicial reform envisioned by the President is completely different from what we thought, from the Democratic Party's stance, and from what the President promised. The President has deceived the public until now." He expressed shock at the President's reference to separating investigation and prosecution functions within the Ministry of Justice as the "original maximum goal of judicial reform," claiming, "I have never heard such a statement before."
The Blue House is concerned that such comments could lead to misunderstandings that President Lee is passive about the separation of investigation and prosecution. Despite the President's clear stance on separating investigative and prosecutorial agencies and his assessment that the current reform proposals have progressed beyond that, Yoo's characterization of the situation as "deceiving the public" is seen as a distortion of the President's message.
In July, Yoo also claimed on the YouTube channel "Maeul Show" that the lack of reform over the past year was due to the President not wanting a complete separation of investigation and prosecution.
At that time, Kang Yoo-jeong, the Blue House spokesperson, rebutted, stating, "President Lee Jae-myung and the Blue House have never wavered on the core value of separating investigation and prosecution as part of judicial reform."
As Yoo's criticisms regarding judicial reform continue, tensions within the ruling party's support base appear to be escalating.
On the 19th, President Lee referred to his supporters as "the President's friends" and urged them to abandon hatred, sarcasm, and emotional criticism, calling for rational criticism based on facts and affection, as well as dignified persuasion and warm appeals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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