Five close aides of President Lee Jae-myung offer harsh criticism

Calls were made to solicit opinions from those who care about the Lee Jae-myung administration and President Lee Jae-myung regarding why approval ratings are falling and how they can be raised. A total of five people, including veteran Democratic Party lawmakers who have been involved in politics with the President for over 20 years and outside figures, were contacted. They all expressed reluctance to be named but stated they would accurately explain their concerns.

These individuals believe that opinions should be delivered to the President discreetly, either directly or through the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs or the Chief of Staff. This implies a role in aiding accurate judgment without being revealed, like a secret royal inspector. Opinions were gathered from a total of five individuals, including three close pro-Lee Jae-myung lawmakers from the Democratic Party and two outside figures, who were deemed capable of serving as a red team.

The President should not appear to be fighting with the people, and it would be better to state a clearer position on this issue.

This was analyzed as a strategic problem for the Democratic Party rather than direct criticism of the President. Furthermore, concerning real estate issues, it was seen as a clear mistake, particularly criticizing the overly sensitive decision to amend the one-household, two-home issue to collect an additional 1 trillion won in taxes.

The opinion is that it does not meet public expectations. It was emphasized that this reporting conveys the veteran lawmaker's opinion, not the reporter's personal view. The spokesperson argued that real estate issues should be approached by linking the decentralization of Seoul's concentration and tax issues.

The spokesperson pointed out that the comprehensive real estate tax introduced during President Roh Moo-hyun's era was later hollowed out under the Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk-yeol administrations. Since there is national consensus that the comprehensive real estate tax itself is a reformative measure, it was argued that this should have been gradually pursued from a taxation perspective, not a real estate perspective, to restore it to its original level. Concerns were expressed that there should not have been wavering or conflicting signals regarding real estate policy. Regarding the Yong Hye-in controversy, regret was expressed that the President's intentions were not properly communicated to the public.

Despite President Lee Jae-myung being evaluated as skilled and willing to communicate, there was a perceived deficiency in essential communication. The nominations of Representative Lee Hae-min of the Rebuilding Korea Party and Representative Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party as presidential aides and ministers were seen as accepting the opinion of 'expanding alliance and cooperation towards the left' that emerged during the Democratic Party's leadership election. However, regret was expressed that this aspect of acceptance did not become a focal point in the recent controversy.

This was seen as no different from previous appointments of common-sense individuals across the political spectrum, such as Lee Hae-woon and In Yo-han. It was regretted that there was ample room for interpretation that the President intended to utilize abilities broadly in state administration, but this interpretation was lost. It was also suggested that while Minister Yong Hye-in's appointment might have seemed fresh to politically engaged individuals or party members, it did not resonate strongly with actual young people.

Some lawmakers expressed the opinion that, over time, Minister Yong Hye-in's appointment did not resonate significantly with young people. A close Democratic Party lawmaker who has been in politics with the President for a long time criticized appointments like Secretary Lee Hae-min to appease the Rebuilding Korea Party as a 'corporatist approach.' Ultimately, this was merely about appeasing the political establishment and had no effect on the swing vote, according to analysis.

It was also pointed out that candidate Yong Hye-in herself is not responding properly, pushing the President into an awkward situation. In particular, criticism was raised that she is a figure with no appeal whatsoever to young people. This analysis suggests a repeat of the situation during the Moon Jae-in administration when the appointment of young Park Sung-min as secretary, intended to reach out to young people, instead provoked anger from young people who called it a 'sudden promotion'.

The appointment of a youth minister was analyzed as repeating past side effects. It was argued that what young people truly need are proper policy announcements, not the appointment of figures like Yong Hye-in, who have long been involved in politics, as ministers. Harsh criticism was leveled against this for being overly focused on political engineering. The individual who presented this opinion was a close aide who genuinely cared for the President, and his regret was reportedly profound.

While diverse opinions can be submitted, regret was expressed over the insufficient time for prior communication and understanding. Concerns were raised that President Lee Jae-myung should keep this in mind when implementing reform tasks in the future. It was pointed out that while some citizens can understand without communication, the majority of citizens need more communication. A counter-argument was also raised that if young appointees are criticized as 'sudden promotions,' then young people will never be able to rise to aide or ministerial positions in the future.

It was argued that attacking youth appointees as 'sudden promotions' is undesirable as it prevents young people from being appointed to key positions in the future. It was pointed out that as the President moves beyond the initial period of state administration, he will face numerous personnel and 고민 (deep thoughts/concerns) issues, so it is crucial to candidly express his concerns to the public and seek understanding and empathy. Meanwhile, critic Kim Eo-jun defended Minister Yong Hye-in on his YouTube broadcast, stating, 'We should listen carefully to what Yong Hye-in has to say.'

Critic Kim Eo-jun defended candidate Yong Hye-in, arguing that criticisms raised during her confirmation hearing were persuasive rebuttals and not smear tactics. However, it was pointed out that his complete silence on candidate Kim Seung-won was puzzling. Regarding Kim Eo-jun's comment, 'the appointing authority needs to listen to Representative Yong Hye-in,' it was countered that the President had already heard Representative Yong Hye-in's trajectory and position, which led to her nomination, and that Yong Hye-in herself explained the situation once controversies arose. Criticism was raised that if Kim Eo-jun truly wanted to make that point, he should have told the public and the media that there was a need to hear more of candidate Yong Hye-in's counterarguments.

It was suggested that the subject of critic Kim Eo-jun's remarks is very subtle and suspicious. There is an interpretation that Kim Eo-jun wishes for figures who frequently appeared on his news program to join the cabinet. A perspective exists that suspects the commentary of figures like Yoo Si-min, Cho Kuk, and Kim Eo-jun has underlying intentions. It was pointed out that during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, their opinions were immediately accepted or there was a platform for explanation, which has not been the case with the Lee Jae-myung administration.

Candidate Kim Seung-won, a key pro-Lee Jae-myung figure who led initiatives like the special prosecutor for indictment withdrawal, despite appearing on News Factory, did not seem to have the same emotional solidarity. Therefore, it was speculated that this might be the reason why Kim Eo-jun only defended Yong Hye-in.

It was pointed out that while Kim Eo-jun, Cho Kuk, and Yoo Si-min claim to be a 'red team' for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration, their past trajectories have some questionable aspects that lead to ongoing suspicion. Particularly in Kim Eo-jun's case, suspicions were raised that he might be thinking that if he slightly shakes the Lee Jae-myung administration and lowers its approval rating to an appropriate level, figures they can control could become the leading candidates for the next Democratic government. Extreme suspicion even arose that they might be enjoying the decline in government approval ratings to open up the possibility for figures like Jung Chung-rae and Cho Kuk, rather than Kim Min-seok, to become the next presidential candidates.

It was emphasized that there needs to be self-reflection on why people constantly harbor such suspicions. It is believed that the public will make appropriate and wise judgments. Since the public has always made wise judgments at historical junctures, it was stated that the public will appropriately judge whether those who claim to be a red team are acting with genuine hearts and actions.