In a roundabout critique, Director Lee, known as the youngest member of the 'Yoon Suk-yeol faction' within the prosecution, criticized the resistance from President Yoon Suk-yeol's side against the execution of arrest warrants by the joint investigation team, which consists of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), police, and others.
Lee Bok-hyun, the head of the Financial Supervisory Service, responded on the 6th to a reporter's question about financial risks arising from President Yoon's disregard for arrest by saying, "It is a common demand of our people that the president, the Minister of Justice, or the Minister of the Interior and Safety should not interfere with the execution of law enforcement agencies." Lee also stated, "Those matters that must follow judicial procedures should be followed in accordance with the judicial process."
Lee said, "It is not right to burden the acting head of state based on political interests right now." He had previously noted during the '2025 Comprehensive Financial New Year’s Meeting' on the 3rd that he supports Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok in his efforts to lead the economic system normally, stating, "I promise to continue supporting you to ensure that there are no shortcomings in your efforts."
Lee emphasized the need for efforts to build trust, considering that the international community's perspective could become stern due to the current political and economic situations. He mentioned the case of France, where political instability led to a downgrade of the national credit rating, saying, "Although it is not the regular period for re-evaluating national credit ratings, international views can become stern during events."
Lee mentioned that with the inauguration of the new U.S. government, changes in related policies, and China's responses, along with the Bank of Japan's currency policy decisions, it is a very crucial time, stating, "The first quarter, especially the trends in January and February, are important." He added, "Since these macroeconomic issues are all interconnected, economic burdens should not exist so that Deputy Prime Minister Choi can make economic decisions, and we all need to work to instill positive trust in our economy from foreign assessments."