Lee's Press Conference Gets Mixed Reviews… Democratic Party Says "Honest," PPP Says "Excuses"

Political circles offered divided "scorecards" on President Lee Jae-myung's press conference.

According to political circles on the 18th, the Democratic Party of Korea highly praised President Lee for demonstrating an honest and humble attitude before the people and his will to reform state affairs, while the People Power Party criticized him for showing nothing but excuses and rhetorical flourishes without responsible change. Both the Innovation Party of Korea and the Reform Party also poured out disappointment and criticism regarding the lack of concrete solutions and legal issues, respectively.

The Democratic Party actively defended President Lee.

Spokesman Park Sung-joon said immediately after the conference, "It was an occasion where the president frankly and humbly expressed his thoughts on state affairs before the people," and added, "We were able to once again confirm President Lee Jae-myung's will regarding livelihood, reform, and national unity."

He continued, "I agree with the president's remarks that while indicators are improving, the reality is that the people are not feeling it, and this must be improved," pledging to support the government's state affairs through livelihood-related legislation, policies, and budgets.

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok also said, "While watching the conference, I shared the same thoughts and feelings with the president throughout," and added, "The party will also listen more humbly while caring for people's livelihood." Floor Leader Han Byung-do similarly evaluated the conference as a turning point in national affairs for restoring public trust.

The People Power Party offered the opposite assessment.

PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk characterized President Lee's conference as an "abandonment declaration of the people and livelihood." Jang argued, "Though packaged with flowery words, the people were not in the president's sincerity," and criticized the lack of substantial change in the government's policy direction.

Earlier, immediately after the conference, Jang also said, "The president's thinking hasn't changed at all," characterizing it as a "conference with only flowery rhetoric remaining." Chief Spokesman Park Chung-kwon also criticized, saying, "It is a self-praise song that blames others for the regime's failures," and asserted that "what the president presented before the people was not a promise but an excuse."

The Innovation Party of Korea acknowledged meaning in the president's reflection but assessed that it lacked concrete solutions. Spokesperson Lim Myung-hee said, "The seriousness of perception, contemplation, and reflection regarding public sentiment came through well," but noted, "On concrete solutions to major issues, it fell short of public expectations, revealing regret and limitations."

In particular, they pointed out a temperature gap between the government's assessment and public sentiment regarding prosecution reform, and demanded additional reforms in personnel decisions such as the candidate for the Major Crimes Investigation Agency chief Kim Ji-yong and the presidential office's civil affairs line. Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute, also argued that the Democratic Party must show a more humble attitude to restore state policy momentum.

The Reform Party focused intensively on the president's legal issues. Lee Ki-in, emergency response committee chair, criticized the president's request for deletion of clauses related to the dismissal of charges in the so-called frame-up prosecution special investigation bill, calling it "90 minutes of bluster without making an actual promise to stand in court."

Chairman Lee argued that what the public expected was a clear stance that they would receive a trial just like ordinary citizens even after their term ends, adding, "We waited not for a long excuse, but for a single sentence of resolve."