Yoo Si-min accuses President Lee of orchestrating faction, hindering reform

Author Yoo Si-min has directly accused President Lee Jae-myung of masterminding the actions of the "New Lee Jae-myung" faction and obstructing prosecutorial reform, escalating internal debate within the progressive camp. Yoo suggested that the current political climate and the difficulties in reforming the prosecution stem from the President's direct involvement.

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Absolute power corrupts 100%. Even a fish market supplying the highest quality fish will eventually smell.

In a YouTube interview, Yoo stated that the "New Lee Jae-myung" group's activities, which he characterized as "mayhem" by self-proclaimed "pro-Lee" supporters, were not spontaneous. He posited that they were likely planned by the President and undisclosed aides since the beginning of his term. Yoo believes this is the only hypothesis that can consistently explain the government's actions regarding prosecutorial reform since September of the previous year, particularly the opposition to the complete separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers.

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If you don't impose any restrictions or criticism, and leave it unchecked, all fish markets will eventually smell rotten.

Yoo emphasized the importance of internal criticism and checks on power, warning that absolute power inevitably corrupts. He used the analogy of a fish market, stating that even the freshest fish will eventually spoil if left unchecked and uncriticized. He cautioned against silencing those who raise concerns, comparing it to driving away someone with a sensitive nose from a decaying market.

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The 'New Lee Jae-myung' faction's actions are not the chaos of self-proclaimed 'pro-Lee' supporters; they were planned by the President and some aides we don't know well since the beginning of his term.

His strong criticisms have drawn sharp rebukes from within the progressive camp. Kim Min-seok, a candidate for the Democratic Party leadership, dismissed Yoo's predictions of the "Lee Jae-myung government's failure" as self-defeating prophecies. Kim criticized Yoo's language as inappropriate for a comrade and accused him of crossing a line, suggesting Yoo's commentary was an attempt to return to politics.

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False prophecies predicting the failure of the Lee Jae-myung government will also fail this time.