As differences widen between the government and the ruling party over the high-intensity prosecution reform plan pushed by the Democratic Party of Korea, President Lee Jae-myung on the 9th said, "Even if we carry out necessary reforms, we must be careful not to condemn everyone across the board and make everyone a target of reform, leading to a result of 'burning down the thatched cottage to catch a bedbug.'"
It came two days after Lee, without naming a specific target on X (formerly Twitter), signaled the need to slow the pace of the Democratic Party-style prosecution reform by saying, "Becoming the ruling force does not mean you can do everything as you please."
On X the same day, Lee posted an entry titled "Reform is often more effective as a surgical correction," writing, "We must remove the problems and hold those responsible strictly to account, but minimize causing the unrelated majority of members to lose motivation or suffer harm."
Lee added, "Whether it is prosecution reform, labor and economic reform, media reform, or court reform—whatever the reform may be, that is what I think should be done," and said, "No matter how difficult the reform, we must never give it up; but to minimize the wounds and conflicts caused by reform, we must be careful and careful again."
Specifically pointing to the judiciary, Lee said, "There are cases in which courts twist justice for political or personal reasons, but there are far more judges who courageously rule according to the law and their conscience to uphold judicial justice and protect human rights," adding, "For decades I made a living pleading cases in court and handled thousands of lawsuits, but the number of rulings that appear to be maliciously distorted would be counted on two hands, and the majority of judges strove for justice and truth even in difficult circumstances."
Referring to his work in civic movements and as a human rights lawyer, Lee said, "For a long time, indictments and arrest warrant requests were repeated due to the abuse of investigative and prosecutorial powers by corrupt prosecutors, but thanks to the just rulings of conscientious judges, I have survived to this day and am performing the duties of the presidency." He continued, "As a legal professional, my belief was that our judicial credibility is at a global level, and even from my personal experience, that holds true."
Citing as examples the final acquittals in the Public Official Election Act violation case and the "forced hospitalization of my older brother" case during his tenure as Gyeonggi governor, as well as the dismissal of an arrest warrant and the not-guilty ruling on subornation of perjury under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Lee said, "Judicial wrongdoing is not a problem of the entire court system, but of some. To resolve the problem, we must identify the causes accurately and clearly separate the grain from the chaff."
On the 7th, Lee also wrote on X, "Becoming president or the ruling force does not mean you can do everything as you wish, nor should you." He did not specify "prosecution reform" or mention the context behind the post. However, in political circles, it is being seen as the president's warning message that the prosecution reform being pushed by the ruling party ahead of the June 3 local elections is being swept up in camp logic and consumed politically.