Yoon on Lee Jae-myung's Prosecution Summons Notice: "Economy and Livelihood Come First... Saw It Through the Media"

Regarding party confusion, "It is not desirable to interfere with party affairs."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 2nd regarding the prosecution's summons of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, "I saw it through media reports," adding, "As president, the economy and people's livelihood come first." President Yoon also refrained from commenting on the internal strife within the People Power Party.

On that day, during a Q&A on his way to the Yongsan Presidential Office, when asked about his stance on Lee's summons, he replied, "I don't even have time to carefully read the articles." The prosecution had notified Lee to appear for questioning on the 6th on charges of spreading false information related to the Baekhyeon-dong development the previous day.

President Yoon also avoided giving a direct answer regarding the recent atmosphere within the ruling party. When asked, "It seems you might feel conflicted watching the party's turmoil; do you have any message to the party?" he said, "As president, it is not appropriate to interfere in party affairs."

He further emphasized, "A party is composed of its affiliated lawmakers and members who engage in intense discussions, and the results reached there should be accepted and followed. Isn't that what a political party is?" He added, "A party that aims to realize liberal democracy must also operate internally according to democratic principles." He continued, "I expect and believe that our party will navigate through difficult issues with democratic governance. It may take some time, but impatience is not a stance I will take."

Regarding the criticism that "personnel reshuffling is underway at the presidential office, and the highest capabilities of staff have been emphasized, but isn't this principle being applied as an exception only to those from the prosecution?" President Yoon showed signs of discomfort. He said, "I will look into it carefully," before leaving.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.