President Lee Jae-myung on the 30th said, "A person who likes blue cannot turn the entire society blue just because that person has power. You must not do that." In particular, "The extreme act of trying to eliminate every group and figure different from my opinion and take everything was precisely insurrection," adding, "Such a society must not swing to the other side." Lee did not specify a particular case, but as controversy over "defending insurrection" intensified following the nomination of Minister of Planning and Budget candidate Lee Hye-hoon, the president, who has appointment authority, made a public statement directly.
On this day, Lee presided over a Cabinet meeting at the main building of the Blue House for the first time since taking office, and explained the importance of "national unity" for about seven minutes before deliberation and voting on the agenda. Lee said, "The president's greatest responsibility is to unite the people," adding, "The Republic of Korea community is where 52 million people with different thoughts, positions, and regions live together, and the president is the one who is responsible for the entire community."
Lee went on, "Until becoming president, one represents a particular camp, but the moment one becomes president, one must represent everyone," adding, "War is about occupying and taking everything and removing whatever is necessary, but politics must not be like that." Lee also said, "Even if you come to hold ultimate power, if only those who were with you in the process of seizing power enjoy everything and everyone else is excluded, that is not politics but war," calling it "primitive."
After likening Korean society to a "seven-colored rainbow," Lee said, "There are people with all kinds of colors of thought, and whether society centers on one color is decided by hearing from members through elections," adding, "A person who likes blue cannot turn the entire society blue just because that person has power. Then does red lose its qualification to be part of our community? No. They are still the people and sovereigns."
The expression likened diverse political views to a rainbow, but blue and red are also the symbolic colors of the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party, respectively. Lee said, "In the end, the essence of politics is to make the world evenly comfortable and for everyone to live well together. That is democracy and civilization," adding, "Yet in our society there is still 'everyone is an enemy but me,' 'targets for removal.' That is how an insurrection eventually broke out."
The nominee, tapped as the inaugural head of the Ministry of Planning under the Lee Jae-myung administration, is a senior figure who served three terms as a People Power Party lawmaker for Seocho Gap in Seoul. While serving as the party chapter head for Jung·Seongdong-eul, Lee received the nomination. Lee opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and even spoke at a rally supporting the Dec. 3 martial law. Criticism is growing within the ruling camp that "this crossed the line." Some say the Constitutional Respect TF, launched by the government to "root out participants in the insurrection," has lost momentum due to this appointment.
The Blue House's position is that if the nominee directly expresses an "intention to break away" during the vetting process, that suffices. According to Blue House Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, Lee said at a closed-door meeting the previous morning that "the nominee needs to clearly express an intention to break away from past defense of insurrection." Lee also said, "While the appointment authority allows the president to nominate, the nominee must be thoroughly vetted for competence through this and also pass the people's scrutiny," adding, "The nominee has a duty to answer the public's questions."