Lee Junseok: "Tampering with Records Is a Challenge to Democracy... Kang Yujeong Must Be Dismissed Immediately"

"Spokesperson Kang Must Be Dismissed to Prevent Greater Disaster"
"Separation of Powers Is the Bulwark Against the Abuse of Power"

Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, demanded the dismissal of Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, accusing her of blatantly attempting to erase history. On the 17th, Lee stated on his social media, "The moment records are tampered with, the foundation of democracy collapses. State records must not be altered to suit those in power," adding, "Regardless of political affiliation, society has reached a consensus that manipulating or deleting records is a direct challenge to democracy itself."

Kang Yujeong, Spokesperson of the Presidential Office. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Previously, on the 15th, spokesperson Kang stated during a Presidential Office briefing regarding the ruling party's demand for Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's resignation, "(The Presidential Office) has no particular position." She continued, "If there is a demand from the times or the people, as an 'appointed authority,' it is necessary to reconsider the plausibility and reasons for such a demand, and I fundamentally agree with this point in principle." Kang further mentioned, "If the National Assembly seeks to reflect the spirit of the Constitution and the will of the people through deliberation and discussion, the most important consideration in that process should be the elected authority of the people."

Following this, when media outlets reported that "the Presidential Office expressed fundamental agreement with the demand for Chief Justice Cho's resignation," Kang held another briefing about an hour and twenty minutes later to clarify, "My expression of 'fundamental agreement' referred to respect for the separation of powers and elected authority," and stressed, "It is not true that the Presidential Office agrees with the demand for Chief Justice Cho's resignation." She then distributed a transcript of the briefing from which the phrase "fundamentally agree" had been deleted. When reporters raised concerns about this, she reissued the transcript about 50 minutes later, this time including the phrase in question.

Prime Minister Kim Minseok is conversing with Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, during the plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 9th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

In response, Lee stated, "Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, said she 'fundamentally agrees' with Choo Mi-ae's demand for Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's resignation, but then quietly omitted this part from the transcript distributed by the Presidential Office, only to restore it in less than an hour after a flood of media protests. This is manipulation intended to erase the truth." Lee continued, "In the past, distortions of records were done covertly and after the fact, but this time, deletion and restoration occurred in real time in front of the press. Kang Yujeong's actions are far more blatant and audacious than before."

Lee further criticized Kang for refusing to acknowledge her mistake and instead shifting responsibility onto the media, saying, "This is an arrogant attitude that seeks to neutralize the media's watchdog function and tailor the truth to the tastes of those in power. President Lee Jaemyung must immediately dismiss spokesperson Kang Yujeong, who has undermined public office discipline by arbitrarily altering records, to prevent an even greater diplomatic disaster." He concluded, "Attempts by previous administrations to erase records or manipulate statistics ultimately led to their own erasure by the judgment of the people. This is a fact that must not be forgotten."

The previous day, Lee had also criticized the Democratic Party of Korea's demand for Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's resignation, stating, "The separation of powers is the final bulwark against the tyranny of power. Anyone who tries to tear down that bulwark is a villain of democracy." He also posted a composite image of President Lee Jaemyung created with OpenAI. Sharing the image, Lee remarked, "If the separation of powers is such a nuisance, President Lee Jaemyung might as well amend the Constitution and serve simultaneously as president, chief justice, and leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. That would be procedurally much simpler than all this wrangling."