National Integration Commission Chief Lee Seok-yeon to Step Down, Saying He Is Leaving at President’s Will

Lee Seok-yeon will leave South Korea’s presidential National Integration Commission on Sept. 9, saying he is stepping down at the president’s will after discovering that his view of national unity differed sharply from that of the government.

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But I came to realize that this government’s thoughts and philosophy on national integration are very different from mine.

In a Facebook post, Lee said he had spent the past year trying to build integration by recognizing the differences among citizens and restoring constitutional values. “But I came to realize that this government’s thoughts and philosophy on national integration are very different from mine,” he wrote.

Lee said he had returned to public office out of loyalty to the Constitution, not to the administration. In the same message, he asked the president to reflect in governing at least some of the candid advice he had offered, even when doing so risked seeming discourteous.

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I returned to public office to be loyal to the Constitution, not to be loyal to the administration.

Although the chair can serve another term, Lee’s departure is being interpreted in light of his repeated clashes with the government. President Lee Jae-myung appointed him as a pragmatic choice. Lee, a prominent legal figure who has moved across progressive and conservative political circles, had criticized the abolition of prosecutors’ supplementary investigative powers.

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I hope that at least some of the candid advice I offered, sometimes despite the risk of being discourteous, will be reflected in the conduct of state affairs.

Last month, he also urged the president to “return as the president of the people, not the president of the Democratic Party.” Lee thanked citizens for their interest and support, while saying he felt sorry to leave without fully carrying out his plans.

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Return as the president of the people, not the president of the Democratic Party.