President Lee Jae-myung on the 13th urged the Democratic Party of Korea to adopt the posture of a "governing party," saying, "A realist without ideals becomes an opportunist who chases only immediate gains, and an idealist without reality becomes an incompetent agitator who focuses on taking sides without solutions." On the surface, it was a general remark about the role of a political party, but in the context of the upcoming party leadership race, it was interpreted as targeting the leadership of Jung Chung-rae.
President Lee, who is on a tour of Europe for eight nights and 10 days to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit, posted a long message on X (formerly Twitter) that day titled "The ruling party, the opposition party, and political responsibility." After first explaining the dictionary meaning of ruling party as "a group that works together," Lee said, "While the opposition party's role in monitoring, checking, and attacking the ruling party and the government is important, the ruling party must demonstrate the ability and record to take responsibility with the power it has been given, as well as inclusiveness and integration."
Lee introduced the three qualities of a politician presented by the German philosopher Max Weber: ▲ passion for an Idea, not private interest ▲ an infinite sense of responsibility for the "consequences" of one's actions ▲ a sense of balance between reality and ideals.
He added, "The governing party should not abandon its convictions but should focus more on the 'language of responsibility' than the language of conviction," and said, "The opposition can shout ideals and convictions, deny the other side, and cling to struggle, but the ruling party has the responsibility to break through obstacles and hindrances, solve real issues that affect people's livelihoods, and prove itself with results."
In particular, he said, "The ruling party's passion should be directed not at 'our camp' but at 'the entire public,'" and added, "Rather than confrontation and exclusion, it should play the role of a 'big bowl' that continuously mediates conflicts through dialogue and communication and minimizes backlash." This passage appears to target pro-Lee figures such as party leader Jung Chung-rae, who has relatively strong appeal to hardline supporters.
◇ Yoo Si-min's 'ABC theory' controversy also brought back Max Weber
"Max Weber" also came up at a town hall meeting on Mar. 30 that President Lee attended. At the time, Lee cited Max Weber and said, "If we judge based on the people, what do ideology, values, and personal tendencies matter?" This was when writer Yoo Si-min mentioned the so-called "ABC theory" that divides pro-government supporters into three groups, intensifying internal conflict within the ruling camp. Although Lee did not point to a specific person, the prevailing view in political circles was that he expressed discomfort with such claims.
This was not the first time he offered sharp words for the ruling party. At a press conference on the 8th marking his first year in office, right after the June 3 local elections, Lee said, "If you lost where you should have won, it is at minimum not a victory." The remark was completely at odds with party leader Jung's self-assessment of a "big victory." At that time as well, while emphasizing a "ruling party worthy of the name," he also said, "The ruling party should be a vessel and must do well in the roles of inclusion and integration."