Yoo Si-min: President Lee Jae-myung hinders prosecutorial reform by not wanting full separation

Author and commentator Yoo Si-min asserted that President Lee Jae-myung's administration is stalling prosecutorial reform because the president himself does not want to completely separate investigative and prosecutorial powers. Yoo argued on the YouTube broadcast 'Maebeul Show' that the reason reforms have stalled for over a year is not due to subordinates' fears but because the president has not truly desired the separation.

"The president wanted it, but people below him said 'the Minister of Justice did this,' 'the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs did that,' and because they were too afraid to face the facts, people didn't look properly," Yoo explained. "It has come this far because the president did not want it, and there is no other explanation."

Yoo noted that some lawmakers have proposed bills to retain a partial investigative authority for prosecutors, stating this is because they understand the president's intentions. He also suggested that former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's failure to submit the government's proposed bill on supplementary investigation rights to the National Assembly was also due to the president's directive.

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The president wanted it, but people below him said 'the Minister of Justice did this,' 'the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs did that,' and because they were too afraid to face the facts, people didn't look properly. It has come this far because the president did not want it, and there is no other explanation.

"President Lee Jae-myung promised complete separation of investigation and prosecution in 2022 and again in this election (2025 presidential election)," Yoo said. "After becoming president, he might have judged that the police have become too powerful and that there are few other checks, so he wanted to keep some power. If so, he should have sought public understanding and resolved it responsibly, but he made the Minister of Justice, then the Prime Minister, do it, and has continued this way."

Yoo described President Lee's governing style as a "dangerous choice" that is risky for both the president and society, predicting it will end in failure. He also criticized Lee's perceived interventions in the Democratic Party's national convention, specifically mentioning support for Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, and calling President Lee's endorsement of candidate Jung Won-oh in the June 3 local elections an unfair primary. Yoo also reiterated his 'reconstruction theory' of Lee's governance, which likens it to urban redevelopment, suggesting that figures like the Minister of Personnel and former Vice Chairman Lee Byung-tae are needed for such a process.

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President Lee Jae-myung promised complete separation of investigation and prosecution in 2022 and again in this election (2025 presidential election). After becoming president, he might have judged that the police have become too powerful and that there are few other checks, so he wanted to keep some power.